Gentle Lie
by Kanryu
Summary: She left her world of warmth and happiness to enter the darkness to save the ones she loves. Or that is what she repeatedly tells herself day after day. How can she admit that she was glad he came for her? SasuSaku. Sequel VELVET is out. REWRITTEN.
1. Chapter 1

**Important Author's Note:**

Hey guys! Haha, I know it's surprising that my first fanfiction is being updated after a year of completion, but I've spent the past few days rewording and reediting my grammar and changed a bit of the storyline. Please give it a read if you have the time. :)

Also! Just because this story is finished doesn't mean that you guys shouldn't leave me reviews! ): I like going back to edit a lot :)

**This story is entirely SasuSaku**.

**DISCLAIMER:** Kishimoto-sensei owns Naruto, and **the GazettE**, the Visual Kei band that owns the song **_Gentle Lie_** and the italicized lyrics at the bottom of every chapter! I only own the plot for this story! Check out **the GazettE** ;) they're an awesome band!

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**Chapter 1**

Sakura collapsed onto a bed of crisp green grass after an exhaustive day of training. Her chest heaved as she languidly gulped in much needed air. She closed her eyes and revelled in the cool damp grass, the wind blowing and moving through it with swishing noises as it passed. Her moment of peace ended as she felt a familiar presence headed her way. Sakura got up from her comfortable position and readied her fatigued body in an offensive stance.

Shocked aqua green clashed with composed dark onyx as the apprentice of the legendary snake sannin used a jutsu to materialize mere inches from her body.

"Sakura." Sasuke breathed her name; they were close enough that his breath touched the back of her neck and made her shiver. Sakura didn't shiver because of their close proximity, or out of love, since she had none left for Sasuke. She shivered because his voice sounded so emotionless, but at the same time so controlling and full of unlimited power. Pushing herself out of her reverie, Sakura jumped a few meters back, allowing some distance between them.

"Sasuke." Sakura coldly replied.

"Hn. I'm here… for a request."

"What of…?" Sakura cracked her knuckles, showing Sasuke that she was ready to fight if he tried to do anything…unhealthy to her.

"In three days, I will come to get you. If you do not want to come, Konoha will be destroyed."

"Why should I comply with your request?" Sakura knew that Sasuke had the ability and skills to take down Konohagakure, but perhaps someone would be able to feel his chakra if she diverged his attention even more so. But since it was a digression, Sakura took the chance to lunge at Sasuke with her chakra-filled fist. Sasuke easily dodged it as the impact of the fist created a new landscape for the training grounds she simply rested on earlier. Grabbing her wrist, Sasuke flipped her arm behind her back and held on to it, making her inwardly flinch at the searing pain. Sakura struggled, attempting to break free, but her fatigued body did not want to follow her mind's wishes.

"I don't think you're in any condition to struggle, what with your… exhausted self from training." Sasuke smirked as Sakura futilely tried to kick his legs in an attempt for him to release the firm hold he had on her arm. Drawing his katana, Kusanagi, from its sheath, he held the blade underneath Sakura's neck. She immediately tensed and stopped struggling and let herself be led on by the emotionless and cold man standing behind her.

"I need your medical skills for what I'll be doing quite soon. And to show that I was not jesting earlier, this will be proof." Releasing his hold on Sakura, Sasuke swiped the blade of his Kusanagi across the top of his forearm and let Sakura see the blood dripping from the lengthy wound, making an oath to her.

Sakura's eyes widened slightly as she saw the once spotless blade now covered in Sasuke's blood. Her medic self rushed forward, immediately putting forth healing chakra into her right palm, mending Sasuke's broken skin. She left a scar instead of mending it back to its normal complexion, pale white and unmarked. Finishing with her task, Sakura's eyes drooped as she started to slope towards the ground. Sasuke caught her as she fell, and all she remembered before she passed out was Sasuke's impassive face and the words he said to her.

"Three days. Meet me at the border of Fire Country beside the cave. Finish your tasks before you go."

**~-.-~**

Sakura awoke to someone carrying her, someone with a familiar scent and a _very _sculpted chest.

"Morning, sleepyhead. Finally decided to get up after a thorough day of training?"

"Hmm…I don't really want to. I like being held here, makes me feel so cozy and safe."

"Maybe I should just drop you."

"You wouldn't."

"How would you know?"

"You love me too much to drop me, old man."

"I really will drop you if you call me that."

"Fine. S-E-N-S-E-I. Better?"

"No, that's even worse. How about you just call me by my name? People have names for a reason."

"Kakashi…. sensei!"

"That's it. I'm dropping you." Sakura fell bottom-first into a river as her ex-sensei dropped her from his well-muscled arms. Just as fast as he dropped her, he fished a spluttering and pouting Sakura out.

"What was that for?"

"You asked for it."

"Now I'm cold!" she shivered as she spoke those words. After those words were said, Kakashi teleported the two of them back to the entrance of their apartment. Setting her down on her feet, Kakashi took off his sandals and went into the kitchen, leaving a pouting Sakura in the entranceway.

"I'm making some dinner, so if I were you, I'd take a quick shower and get changed."

A dazzling smile brushed Sakura's face as she ran her way to the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind her with a resounding click. Shedding her clothes, Sakura wondered at the piece of paper that fluttered down from her wet clothes. Upon opening it, Sakura instantly remembered what had happened prior to her unconsciousness. The neat script on the slightly damp piece of paper was filled with a writing that she had not seen for a long time, but she still remembered it. Elegant cursive from an old member from Team Seven… Sakura gave an audible gasp as she read the note.

'_Three Days. Meet me at the concealed cave at the North of Fire Country's border next to the small river. Finish your tasks before you go. You are to tell no one.'_

Gripping the paper tightly, Sakura was lost in her thoughts of the meeting she had with Sasuke before a knock on the door brought her back to reality. "Sak, you okay in there? Did something happen?" Kakashi's voice resounded through the wooden door.

"I-I'm fine. I just found a few bruises in places I don't recall being hurt in from today's training is all." stuttered Sakura as she tried to regain her composure from earlier.

"Hmmm… well you don't say? I wouldn't mind making your bruises feel better after dinner." Kakashi suggested in a sly tone.

"…just get cooking you perverted old man. I'm hungry and the food better be prepared by the time I'm finished showering! If not, I'm punching you all the way to Kirigakure!"

**A/N**: Mist Country

"Yare yare… are all women so impulsive or is it just her…" he quietly mumbled words that he thought were incoherent to Sakura's ears.

"I heard that! Get cooking!" she playfully said.

Hearing Kakashi's footsteps fade away and his chakra level fainter than it was a second ago when he was right outside the bathroom, Sakura re-read the note a few more times. After she finally made sure there were no subliminal messages within the note, Sakura disintegrated the piece of paper with her chakra. Jumping into the shower and turning on the hot water to the max, Sakura shoved aside her worries from the recently disintegrated note and proceeded to wash herself free of the sweat and grime she had acquired from training.

'_If only the encounter I had with Sasuke could be easily washed down the drain…'_

15 minutes later, Sakura was seated at the kitchen table wearing a red t-shirt and white sweatpants with a towel draped over her shoulders to prevent the water droplets from her hair dripping onto her shirt and down her back. Sakura's mouth started to water as she breathed in the delicious scents that were rising from the hot and just prepared food. Kakashi emerged from the kitchen holding two generous bowls of sushi rice and placed them on the table, one in front of Sakura and one for himself.

"Itadakimasu!~"

**~-.-~**

Throwing the towel from her shoulders into the laundry hamper, Sakura threw herself onto the bed which she and Kakashi shared. Breathing in his scent lingering on the sheets, Sakura rolled under the covers, trying to be less conspicuous with her stalker-ish actions. Just as she was about to fall asleep, she felt the weight of another person on the other side of the king-size bed. Feeling the rustling of the blankets, Sakura slightly shifted herself so she could get a little closer to the person that had just decided to join her. Warm arms rested themselves around her midriff and pulled her into a solid chest. She hummed as their bodies made contact, making Kakashi chuckle at her response.

"Seems like someone's not as tired as I thought, huh? I thought you'd have passed out cold the moment you rolled under the covers."

"Well…you see…I really would like to, if I wasn't scared of a perverted man raping me in my sleep." Sakura mumbled, words only audible to Kakashi's ears, since his head was resting at the crook of her neck.

"You can't rape the willing, Sakura." Kakashi whispered which Sakura found _very_ sexy. "And today, Lady Tsunade told me to give you this note, but since you're so tired, I'll be Mr. Nice Guy and read it out to you."

Kakashi relinquished his hold on Sakura's waist, eliciting a groan of protest from her, making him smile at her cuteness. Unrolling the scroll so he could get to its contents, the parchment rustled as it was being straightened out.

"Haruno Sakura, you are not allowed to train or go to work. It is great that as my apprentice, you are keeping up with your reputation as a kunoichi and medic nin, but everyone must have a resting period. It seems that you have not rested for three years, so I hereby give you a two-week vacation. Enjoy it while it lasts. You won't be getting time off like this for probably the next year or two. Stamped by Godaime herself… Hmm. Well, this is a rare opportunity, Saku-chan. I think you should embrace this chance and spend time with your lover who has managed to get a holiday, coincidentally at the same time as you!"

Sakura perked her ears up at the notice. The note seemed genuine. After all, the Hokage _had_ been telling her to take a vacation for the past half a year. What she found odd was that Kak– her lover had a holiday at the same time she did. Sitting straight up from her sleeping position, Sakura grabbed the scroll at lightning speed and read it. At the end in TINY postscript, was definitely Tsunade's writing that told her Kakashi had a holiday too. Looking over at Kakashi with a pair of accusatory eyes, he pretended not to notice as he slipped underneath the covers, avoiding Sakura's death glare. Throwing the covers off of him, Sakura near screamed at him.

"You pulled the strings behind this! What'd you do to let her allow both of us, TWO JOUNINS to have a vacation at the same time?"

Peeping out from underneath the messed covers, Kakashi answered simply, "I just gave her my secret recipe for making better quality sake than the one she drinks."

"…"

Sakura sighed in defeat as she knew her mentor would do anything for good tasting sake. Throwing the scroll to the side, Sakura switched off the lights of the bedroom and slipped back under the covers after throwing off her white sweatpants to reveal black shorts. Kakashi pulled Sakura up to him and rested his head on the crook of Sakura's neck. And with that, he fell asleep, leaving a tired and worried Sakura to sort out her confused thoughts.

Turning around in Kakashi's arms, Sakura gazed at his face. She remembered the time when everything started. It wasn't mushy or romantic or anything like that, it just… _happened_. To say the least, it was probably the most unromantic thing Sakura had ever experienced. They were training one day at a training ground, and they had been sparring with each other all afternoon. After that, the two of them collapsed on the grounds and just…basically got together. And now, they were an item. It's not like Konoha didn't know that they were together. Sakura was pretty open about it from the start; Kakashi was the one who had the issue. He was worried Konoha would disagree with their relationship. Ironically, no one disagreed to it, except for Naruto, who as always was the black sheep of the white flock. As for her feelings towards Sasuke… there was nothing to talk about. The feelings were gone. Repeat. They didn't exist. She didn't even know when and where they went, they just did. Speaking of Sasuke, Sakura thought back to the situation on hands.

Sasuke was essentially forcing her to go with him, or else he would literally kill everyone in Konoha. She doubted that Sasuke would break his promise as a man and with the oath of his own blood to abide by as well. Several hours later, Sakura reached her concrete decision, and the decision would hurt her, as much as it would hurt her friends, and especially… him. Snuggling into his chest, Sakura listened to his moderate heart beat for a while before saying a few words in a quiet whisper.

"I love you, I hope you know that. I do and I always will."

_'What I did because of my weakness was surely for the sake of those "dearest" to each other'  


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I know this story is for SasuSaku, but this chapter was basically all KakaSaku. Please wait patiently as SasuSaku will be the dominant relationship in this fanfic.

_- Kanryu _out_  
_


	2. Chapter 2

Soo...how's your summer going? :)

**DISCLAIMER**: KISHIMOTO-SENSEI OWNS NARUTO! I only own the plot thus far. The song **Gentle Lie** is composed by **the GazettE** solely, and they are an awesome band to listen to; the lyrics at the end of every chapter is from the song **Gentle Lie**! If you call them a boyband, I will bite your head off like I do to gummy bears :O

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**Chapter 2**** - _Gentle Lie

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_**

Pushing back his long, white sleeve to his elbow, Sasuke observed the scar from the cut he had made on himself earlier. He narrowed his eyes at the marred flesh and let go of his hand holding back the sleeve; it fell back into place. Walking away from the tip of the cliff that overlooked Konoha, Sasuke sprinted away from the sunrise and Konoha, and into the shady forest.

As he got closer to the meeting point for where his group was supposed to wait for him, Sasuke heard the continuation of a pointless conversation regarding him.

"Suigetsu, when do you think Sasuke-kun is going to be back?"

"Would you just shut up? It's not like you're going to die from just not seeing him for half a day."

"It's a little over half a day! It's been exactly 13 hours, 21 minutes and 11 seconds! 15 seconds now! No, 22 seconds! Maybe something happened to Sasuke-kun… What should we do!"

"Juugo, shut Karin up for me. Her whining isn't going to bring her Sasuke-_kun_ back any faster. On the contrary, I'm willing to bet my sword that he's going to run away just in order to escape her shrieky whines."

Slowing down from his sprint, Sasuke walked out into the small clearing without a sound, right into the middle of the irritating source of noise. His gaze fell on a poorly-dressed woman with firey-coloured hair and black-rimmed glasses. Sitting next to her on a rock was the target of her screeching: a white-haired man with a sword strapped to his back. The orange-haired man whom was leaning against a tree noticed Sasuke's entrance and immediately stood up, lifting himself off from the tree. This caused the source of commotion to stop immediately, and three pairs of eyes swivelled to Sasuke, waiting for their next mission.

"We set off now. To the concealed cave next to the small river on the Northern border of Fire Country."

No questions asked, Team Hebi set off with its cold and young leader to the proposed destination.

**~-.-~**

Eyes opening lazily, Kakashi revealed the newly evolved three-tomoe Sharingan his best friend had given him the day he had turned Jounin. Adjacent to his Sharingan, the droopy-looking charcoal black eye looked down at the splash of vibrant pink hair spread out over one of his pillows. Releasing his grip on Sakura gently, Kakashi left to go to the bathroom to take a shower, not before leaving a gentle and sweet kiss on her head. He quietly shut the door and strolled down the hallway and into the bathroom with a change of clothes in one hand while the other scratched the mess of grey hair on his head.

Sensing his chakra signature fading, Sakura threw off the covers and immediately started to follow the plan she had thought of during the several hours of peace last night. The message that Sasuke left for her shone brightly in her mind, _'Finish your tasks before you go.'_

'_I only have three days… I thought I would have more time to spend in Konoha. Sasuke said I wouldn't be allowed back for a year...maybe even years. And I highly doubt he would let me come and go as I wish too. I guess I have no choice but to do this…'_

Suppressing the presence of her chakra with each step she took towards the bathroom, Sakura opened and closed the bathroom door without a sound. The steam from the shower washed over her, making her shiver. Sliding her black shorts down, Sakura left both her panties and shorts in a pile in the corner of the dark, unlit bathroom. Slowly making her way across the small interior, Sakura made sure not to fall or trip on anything along the way while she tried not to make any sounds as well.

Drawing the curtains aside, Sakura could see the dark and faint outline of Kakashi slightly bending over with both his palms on the tiles outlining the walls of the bathtub. She almost slipped as she lifted one of her legs to go over the rim of the tub. Inwardly cursing herself for her blunder, Sakura made a small splish as she firmly landed in the bathtub on her feet. Kakashi tilted his head up a little at the small noise and said her name in a content tone.

"Sakura."

The pink-haired woman simply wrapped her arms around Kakashi's well-toned stomach and dipped her head between his slippery shoulder blades, sighing as she did so. The two of them stayed in that position for a few minutes, before Kakashi slowly turned around and enveloped Sakura in a wet but warm hug, putting his chin atop Sakura's head.

"Sooooo… to what do I owe the surprise, my little blossom?" Sakura could almost literally see him smiling his crooked smile in the dark that she had grown accustomed to, his image so thoroughly imprinted into her mind. It broke her, knowing the seconds that ticked away on the clock brought her closer to an unhappy departure.

Tip-toeing, Sakura leaned towards Kakashi's left ear and spoke a few words to him that immediately left him shocked and extremely aroused.

"Let's see if we'll need a new bed like last time." Sakura said huskily, while trying hard to blink back her tears. For the tears that had escaped, she hoped Kakashi wouldn't notice and would merely think of them as droplets of water that fell from his hair.

**~-.-~**

Waking up, Sakura looked at the clock and noticed how it was the crack of dawn of the next day. Realization dawned on her as she remembered it would take at least a day to reach the northern border of Fire Country. Struggling off the bed, Sakura tried not to make any sounds as she got prepared for her soon to be long and arduous journey. After she made sure Kakashi did not awaken to her seemingly loud actions, she walked to the other side of the bed to where he was sleeping and winced as a sensitive spot throbbed from the previous day's wild acts. Green-coloured chakra pulsed lightly on the index and middle fingers of her right hand; she gently placed it on her lover's head. The green chakra left her two fingers and sank into his head; Sakura sighed in both relief and sadness as she made sure Kakashi wasn't awake to catch her leave. Satisfactorily, Sakura grabbed her toiletries and limped as fast as she could to the bathroom as tears leaked from her eyes. _'Damn. I pick my period over this any day…'_

An hour later, a showered and fully equipped Sakura kneeled beside Kakashi's beside once again.

"I'll miss you, you know that? I wish I could tell you what I'm going to be doing… but I think it's safer if I don't. Even I don't know what I'll be doing once I leave. Please take care of yourself, since I won't be here to do so anymore… I really liked it when you cooked for me; it was so damn sweet of you. And your cooking is amazing. Not what I expected from a bachelor busy with the way of the shinobi."

Sakura's chime-like laugh pierced the quiet atmosphere of Kakashi's room. In moments, the laugh had faded away, and Sakura's face was covered in tears.

"I love you, so much."

She placed a kiss on his forehead and left, closing the door tightly behind her. She put on a happy façade the moment she exited the apartment and teleported to _their_ old training ground. The training ground where all the disbanded members of Team Seven met and fought their ex-sensei for the first time. Sakura knew Naruto would come to train later in the day to train, he always did; she walked up to the middle log, where Naruto was tied to 8 years ago. Taking out a kunai, Sakura wrote Naruto a message. She finished it with a swipe of her kunai across her wrist, blood spattering underneath the message.

She placed her bloody hand onto the ground and summoned Pak-kun; the pact between them was made shortly after Kakashi and Sakura got together. Telling Pak-kun the situation, she healed herself while doing so. Sakura left him with an unhappy expression even more so than normal as she took her leave.

Sakura teleported out of Konoha to get past the main gate's guards and began her day-trip towards the northern border of Fire Country. And the results of her trip would shatter her cherished bonds no matter how much she wanted to keep them.

**~-.-~**

Naruto sneezed the moment he woke up from his drooling slumber. Rather, the sneeze woke him up. Looking out the window of his small apartment cubicle that he had since he was much younger, he anticipated the new day, knowing it would bring him one day's worth of training closer to Sasuke's level and his bringing his best friend back to Konoha. Throwing off the covers, Naruto decided to head to Ichiraku Ramen, as always, for breakfast and maybe see Sakura-chan along the way and go training again at the ole grounds. He grinned at the prospect of meeting his sister-like friend, but immediately grimaced after he thought about Sakura-chan's temper early in the morning.

Setting off in his ninja gear with his well-cherished Konoha headband resting on his forehead, Naruto excitedly exited the door. He rounded the corner of his apartment complex before he saw someone he knew down the street.

"Oi! Hinata!"

Stuttering girl replied with a faint "N-Naruto-kun!" as a blush crept up to her pale ivory cheeks.

"Wanna have some ramen with me? I was just planning to have breakfast at Ichiraku's!"

"S-S-Sure." _As always._

**~-.-~**

Tsunade was displeased with what Pak-kun had arrived early in the morning to tell her. The enormous and current hangover worsened her mood even further. Her best apprentice had decided to walk blindly into a lion's den, or… that's what she could temporarily conclude.

"Pak-kun. Tell me what she said to you again."

"Tsunade-sama, Sakura said she is going to join Uchiha Sasuke in his mission. His mission in what, she did not tell me. It seemed as if she didn't know why he needs her either. She didn't tell me where she was going, but she said she would be gone for a lengthy amount of time. She said– no, _begged_, that under no circumstances are you to tell Kakashi where she has gone. She also wanted me to tell you that she wants you to tell Kakashi that she has gone on a long mission, and it will be at least a year before she returns. Furthermore, she tells me that you should not send anyone to look for her or anything of the sort. In order to gain Sasuke's trust and successfully try to return him to Konoha, Sakura will be forced to either injure or kill her fellow teammates. She does not want to resort to that. As for Naruto, she says she has it covered. I saw the note she left for him, it's on the middle pole of Team Seven's old training grounds. It seems to be an oath of some sort. This is all of what I have seen and been told."

Frustrated and unsure what to do, Tsunade inwardly cursed her young apprentice. Most of the time, Sakura would consult her on what to do. This time, Sakura consulted her only _after_ she had already left. Oh wait, there were no consultations on her behalf, Sakura had just decided to follow her instincts. Tsunade hoped Sakura's instincts were correct and hopefully wouldn't bring her pupil's death or something of the sort. Sighing, she looked at Pak-kun once more with worried and determined eyes.

"Bring Naruto to me now."

'_Let's see in the cold bed... Please give me a gentle kiss... The two of us, melting into the silk'  


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I'm sorry about the almost-lemon in the middle of the story; it's to move the plot along.

- _Kanryu_ out


	3. Chapter 3

Hellooo everyone (again)! I hope my edits are making you guys happy even at least a little o.o

**DISCLAIMER**: I don't own Naruto. *looks at Masashi Kishimoto* He does. I only own the plot thus far. **the GazettE** is the awesome Visual Kei band that I love muchly! The title **Gentle Lie** is made by them, and I only own this story, and not the song nor the lyrics at the bottom of this chapter and every other chapter. :)

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**Chapter 3**** - _Gentle Lie_****  


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Naruto blankly looked at Pak-kun with a mouth full of noodles. Hinata looked from Naruto to Pak-kun, wondering what was going on and why he had decided to interrupt her date with Naruto-kun. _Date…? Date?_ Hinata faltered at the thought and turned crimson red, thankful Naruto did not notice with his attention span all on the appearance of Pak-kun. Naruto swallowed and put down his chopsticks, looking more serious than earlier.

"Hey, Pak-kun. What's with the sudden visit?" He seemed to know what was going on before even being told.

"Tsunade-sama wants you in her office now." was the pert reply.

"Oh, I see…thanks for being messenger Pak-kun. I'll remember to get you a dog treat next time for your help." He winked at Pak-kun as he wagged his tail. "Hinata, I'm sorry, but I gotta go. I'll pay for our meals this time, okay?" And with that, Naruto slapped down enough money for both their bowls of ramen and a small tip for Ichiraku. He left with a grin and a wave to his long time admirer.

**~-.-~**

Sakura jumped through the trees of the forest, her gloves holding onto a branch and swinging herself up to another branch higher up. Pausing after a half a day, Sakura was glad to see that she made twice the distance than it would've usually taken within that time span. She sat down on the branch with her legs hanging over the edge; Sakura thought of what her future travelling with Sasuke's group would be like.

'_I know life's going to be much more difficult than I had it back in Konoha. I probably won't be able to have much rest… much peace… and words of people that actually care about my well-being and whatnot. The last time I've seen Sasuke awhile back, he was an emotionless brick. He still is…no changes there. But I did hear from Tsunade-sama that he's travelling with his own group… it's called Hebi or whatever. Figured as much, the creeper's got to rub off on him somehow.' _

Sakura stood up and let her mind wander as she resumed her journey of meeting at the proposed destination with her old teammate.

**~-.-~**

"Obaa-chan, you called?" Naruto chirped as he walked in the door with his usual foxy grin. His smile faltered as he saw how serious his Godaime looked; well, as serious as one could look with a serious hangover.

"Naruto." Tsunade had her elbows propped up on her desk with her head slightly bent downwards on her clasped hands. "I have a small mission for you. It's still early—"

"'baa-chan! It's not early! It's 10:41am!" Tsunade threw an empty bottle at Naruto's head as he interrupted her.

"Naruto, DON'T YOU INTERRUPT ME WHEN I'M HALFWAY THROUGH MY SENTENCE. HAVEN'T YOU EVER LEARNED TO RESPECT YOUR ELDERS?" Tsunade recollected herself and continued on with her sentence. "As I was saying, go down to your old training grounds immediately and tell me what you see different around there. Got it? If there is something different, get rid of it so no one else knows of it. No questions asked, go. I expect you back in 15 minutes."

Naruto answered with a puff of smoke as he left to fulfil the mission Tsunade had just assigned him. Arriving at his old training grounds, Naruto immediately noticed something shocking. His wooden post that he usually stretched on before his training was splattered with blood. Naruto noticed a note etched into the wood as he ran up to it.

'_I'll bring him back, Naruto. It's a promise.'_

Underneath the note was a splash of blood. Even though he was dense, he didn't need to be a genius to notice who wrote the message and whose blood it was.

**-Flashback- **

"_N-Naruto, please bring him back." Sakura cried to him as tears streamed down her face; her whole figure shook as she confronted him. _

_Naruto was pained to see his teammate and his love like that. "So you really love him, huh, Sakura." It was a statement, not a question. Striking the good guy pose, Naruto replied with a smile equal to Rock Lee's except Naruto's was much better, "Don't worry Sakura-chan! I'll bring him back. It's a promise of a lifetime."_

**-Flashback Ends-**

Naruto slammed his knuckles and his head against the post repeatedly, the blood from his knuckles mingling with Sakura's dry one. "Sakura-chan… why didn't you take me with you? Am I such a hindrance to you? I know you've gotten strong, but are you ready to take him on…?"

Tsunade worried when the blond did not come back after 15 minutes. Sure, she gave him a time limit so that it'd seem like a real mission, and she knew that Naruto had his own set of shinobi rules. However, it was one of his closer friends that had left without telling him anything. It's just like how Sasuke left, except… that Sakura did leave him a message. Heaving a sigh, Tsunade sat back in her chair while staring at the full bottle of sake on her desk. She didn't want to drink sake right now, however crazy it might sound. Sensing his chakra signature, Tsunade told him to come in.

Naruto looked like he'd been through the washer, like a dozen rounds of it by the looks of it. Knuckles on both his hands were dripping blobs of blood onto her pristine tiled floor; he had downcast eyes, and hair that looked like he's been through a tornado.

'_Is this even possible? He was only gone for half an hour… well, I guess half an hour is a lot, and Naruto exceeds everyone's expectations anyway. I should heal him up after we talk.'_

"Did you have any findings at the training grounds?"

"Yes. Sakura left me a note saying she's going to bring Sasuke back." He crestfallenly said.

She sympathetically looked at him. Two of his friends were gone, and now he's alone. Well, not technically since he had other friends here in Konoha with him. The friend that could truly understand the pain when Sasuke left had left him too.

"You destroyed the evidence then?" she said.

"Yes. I destroyed it with my Rasengan." Naruto suddenly straightened himself up, with a determined look in his eye. Tsunade did not like the look he was giving her.

"No, Naruto. You are not allowed to go after her. I will give you the reason why. She said Sasuke confronted her and said if she did not follow him, he would destroy Konoha and the people as well. Sasuke also said if she told anyone, then the same thing would happen. Sakura took a big risk in telling Pak-kun, and Naruto, what we talk about in this room cannot leave. I hope you can understand this. I'm only telling you because you're one of the closest people to Sakura. And if you trust Sakura and her ability to handle herself in dangerous situations, then you can trust her with Sasuke. She is great at analyzing situations that she is most disadvantageous in and is even greater in situations she is advantageous in. Sakura most likely did not tell you for another reason, because she knows you would chase after her within mere seconds of being told. Uzumaki Naruto, you are forbidden to look for Haruno Sakura." she added sternly.

"Does Kakashi know of this?" He impertinently replied.

This caught Tsunade off guard, she knew the question was coming, but she didn't expect it to be this soon. _'He's not as dense as before… I can't tell if this is good or bad in a situation like this.'_

"No, he doesn't. We don't intend to tell him the truth. Sakura had other things for us to tell him. Sakura says we are to tell him that she has been called away on an urgent mission and won't be back until a little over a year at the quickest." Tsunade wants to give her apprentice an earful the next time she sees Sakura about the entire ruckus she's causing in her short life. "She's only a little step ahead of you in achieving both of your goals. _When_ she comes back, she'll have Sasuke with her. I have no doubt about that. Take a break from training today, Naruto. Before you do that though, go tell Kakashi to come here now. The effects of Sakura's sleeping jutsu should lift soon."

**~-.-~**

Sasuke stopped as he felt a familiar chakra nearby. They were near the outskirts of Konoha; maybe an hour or two more till they reached the cave. He darted to the right, leaving the rest of his team behind him, and cutting off an unsuspecting Sakura in her tracks, making her quickly latch her gloved hand onto a higher branch, stopping her from flying into him. She landed both her feet on a branch, steadying herself from the sudden stop. Sakura looked up to meet onyx-black eyes on a close branch mere meters away from her.

"I thought we were meeting at the cave near the border of Konoha. Was that not the supposed destination?" questioned Sakura.

"You caught up." Was his short response. Out of a clump of trees, three people whom Sakura did not know appeared and landed on several branches around Sasuke's.

'_They must be the rumoured Team Hebi that I heard from Tsunade-sama. If Sasuke chose them to be his teammates, they must have some abilities that's not very common in a lot of other shinobi… whatever the case, guess I have to learn to deal with them, since they're probably the only decent human interaction for some time and they can probably wipe me out within a matter of seconds.'_

Sakura took in their appearances; one of them looked laid-back, one of them looked jealous for some odd reason, and one of them looked predatory. The redhead throwing her the jealous looks doesn't look too happy with her for some reason.

"We're still going to the cave if that's what you're wondering. And you will stick with us until my mission is complete. If you do anything out of place, I'll kill you" Sasuke monotonously threw out.

"Whatever, Sasuke." Sakura said.

After her response, the new Team Hebi set off, with Sakura as its medic nin. She felt the gaze of a certain redhead on her as they ran across the treetops toward their destination. It doesn't seem to be a friendly gaze; she sensed the somewhat concealed malicious aura hanging around her. On the other hand, it seems the shark-tooth man with the huge sword likes her presence; she has the feeling that he's giving her a really thorough checkout. Since he's a little behind her, she is supposing he's checking her out, usually how men in Konoha would. Sakura expects him to be no exception, except that men in Konoha would be kept in check by Kakashi; he was protective of her when both of them went out. Not protective to the point where Sakura couldn't breathe, it made Sakura feel loved even more, because Kakashi would always know where to draw the line. She missed him, so much, even though she only hasn't seen him for a day. Tears started to gather in her eyes, but she quickly blinked them away. _'I can't let Sasuke know of my weakness. He just can't know.'_

**~-.-~**

"Tsunade-sama, I thought you had granted Sakura a two week holiday, did you not? Why did you suddenly send her on a year long mission?" Kakashi wearingly asked.

"I needed one of the most top medic ninjas I had to go on this mission. So it cancels you out Kakashi, and you know I need Shizune by my side, or else my duty as a Hokage would go down the drain quick enough."

"I'm in no place to say this, Godaime, but your reputation as a Hokage is already greatly diminished with your sake drinking."

"_Kakashi_. I'm sorry about how I sent Sakura on this mission, since I promised both of you a holiday, but my decision has been made and she has set off already. You will receive notices on where she is during the mission and how she is doing." said Tsunade firmly.

"This is an S-ranked mission, isn't it?"

"…Yes, it is."

"And it's for a year."

"Yes, what're you getting at, Kakashi?"

"This is no ordinary S-ranked mission, is it?"

"…"

"Normal S-ranked missions are not for one year, missions like that are usually given to ANBU, and I know for a fact that Sakura has not joined ANBU yet. Also, there is absolutely no way you would let her join ANBU within a matter of seconds, even if she is your apprentice, you would make her go through that hellish test I've had to take back then."

"…"

"This has something concerning Uchiha Sasuke, does it not?" Kakashi pressed on, knowing how close he is to getting the answer he wants from the Hokage.

"…You've figured me out, Kakashi. However, under no circumstances are you allowed to look for her in any way. She's made me promise her that I would not tell you this, but since you figured this out by yourself, I can't do anything about it." sighed Tsunade.

"I trust Sakura to make the right decisions for herself, and if she decides on doing so, then I'll follow up with her decision." Kakashi cheerfully said, although his heart was slightly breaking on the inside. "Thanks for clearing things up with me, Godaime; I'll be enjoying the rest of my two week holiday now."

Tsunade whipped something at Kakashi's retreating back. His lightning speed reflexes allowed him to catch the envelope Tsunade threw at him.

"She told me to give this to you a year after she's left or _when_ not _if_ you find out what she really is doing. Sakura knows you well." Tsunade soberly said.

Kakashi gave her a two-finger wave and disappeared in a puff of smoke, clutching the envelope tightly in his other gloved hand.

'_Loving, being loved, knowing sadness, the chewed for sighs'  


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_

Okay, I know everyone's getting mad at me for having so many page breaks, but they'll soon be minimal since I'll be shying away from the things going on at Konoha and mostly centering on Sasuke's mission with Sakura accompanying him. **R&R**!

_- Kanryu _out_  
_


	4. Chapter 4

Moving along now with the reedited chapters!~

**DISCLAIMER**: I do not own Naruto! Kishimoto-sensei does. **the GazettE** is an awesome band, and I love them for their talent, not their looks (even though they are above average :) ). The title **Gentle Lie** is a song of theirs from the album **STACKED RUBBISH** that came out in 2007. The lyrics at the end of this chapter and every other chapter is theirs. I only own the plot! Please check the GazettE out when you have the time ;)

**P.S.** This is a plot moving chapter. Nothing drastic happens here. Drastic happens in the next few chapters.

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**Chapter 4**** - _Gentle Lie_****

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The rain beat down on Sakura and Team Hebi, erasing their scents, not allowing any hopes of being followed. Sakura flanked Sasuke's right side with Juugo, and on their left was Karin and Suigetsu. Karin didn't look so happy knowing that Sakura was on Sasuke's right, making Sakura Sasuke's "right-hand woman" so to speak. Karin showed her hate very openly since Sakura could feel vicious lashes of angry chakra emitting from her. If Sasuke felt them, he did nothing and continued on, never once breaking his mechanical pace through the trees.

They seemed to have reached their destination, as Sasuke stopped before a cluster of dense trees. He moved them out of the way with his arm and bent over to avoid being hit on the head by the overhanging branches. The rest followed with Sakura being the last one to duck underneath the branches and into the dim passage. As it started getting darker and darker the deeper Team Hebi walked, Sakura didn't realize that they've reached a dead end until she accidentally bumped her nose into Juugo's back, making her stumble back a little. _'So much for my grace as being a kunoichi… what would Tsunade-shishou say if she saw me now? Oh wait, she'd give me an earful about my responsibilities as a kunoichi if she was here.'_

A voice reached her ears, and Sakura would remember this voice anywhere she went.

"Sakura." said Sasuke. "Break this wall."

Without responding verbally to his request – demand – Sakura walked up straight to the dead end and landed her fist right into the centre of the wall, the pieces of rock crumbling into tiny piles of pebble at her feet at the contact. Karin, Suigetsu and Juugo stood awed, as Sakura put her arm down and dusted her glove off. '_It wouldn't hurt to say something of gratitude or a smirk of thanks or whatnot.'_

As if he heard her thoughts, Sasuke gave her a "Hn." and then walked past her while he slightly brushed her arm with one of his white sleeves. Although Sakura only took Sasuke's sleeve brushing against her arm as a casual thing, Karin certainly did not. She shot Sakura a very dirty look and walked, no strutted past her while she obnoxiously slammed into her shoulder without a word of apology. Inner Sakura was telling her to punch the crap out of this girl, but since Sakura wanted to stay on Sasuke's good side no matter what happened, she closed her eyes and allowed herself to calm down. Opening her eyes, she was surprised to see Juugo waiting on her, patiently, his pair of eyes looking at Sasuke's retreating back with two persons following him.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean for you to wait for me. Please go ahead next time." Sakura said with a small smile, even though she knew that Juugo was probably assigned by Sasuke to keep an eye on her.

"Sakura-sama, thank you for your kindness, but I know you understand my position isn't as easy as it looks. I am sure you have already figured it out yourself, and I needn't say anything. You know that I have been assigned by Sasuke-sama to keep an eye on you in case you plan to escape." Juugo bowed his head apologetically as he said the truth that Sakura already knew.

"Juugo-san, I know that already, but trust me, I won't leave Sasuke's side. You have my word on it. Sasuke wouldn't allow me to be tagging along with you guys if he didn't have at least a little trust in me, right? For you guys to be his teammates, he must have trust in your abilities, even though it may not be much, it is sufficient enough for him to keep all of you alive. We both know that he can get rid of us whenever he wants. Oh, and please, just call me by Sakura, no formalities are required. It is very nice to meet you." she finished off with a tiny bow.

"Ah, Sakura-san, it does not abide by my customs if I am to call you without any formalities. I would feel very disrespectful towards you. And the same for you, too, please, just call me by Juugo. If you have any questions or things you want to know about, please do not hesitate to ask me." Juugo quietly said. "And we should probably catch up to them; they are quite a bit ahead of us now, Sakura-san. We wouldn't want to be left behind."

With that, Juugo and Sakura stopped their talk and ran towards Sasuke's direction.

**~-.-~**

Kakashi stood in front of the memorial stone, reminiscing as he always had about his comrades and his friends that have lost their lives in battle. Gazing at the names on the stone, Kakashi wondered when or if his name will ever be engraved there, or will he live to a ripe old age and die peacefully in his slumber. Whichever the one, Kakashi didn't care, his little flash of hope had left him, left him and went off with another man to fulfil one of her dreams that she had always wanted. Kakashi trusted Sakura enough to know that she truly did love him and not Sasuke that way, but she was committed to finding Sasuke; it had always been hers and Naruto's dream to bring back their friend who had trodden down the wrong path. Even though both of them knew that Sasuke had changed, not for the better but for the worse, it didn't waver them. Maybe on occasion, it faltered them a few times, but after, the other would pick up after the other, and Kakashi would be there to help them if both of them could not. Kakashi couldn't help but wonder who's going to pick up after himself; it used to be Sakura, but now who? This just proved to Kakashi that he depended on Sakura more than he ever thought he did. Opening He opened the letter and read through its contents.

_Hey, Kakashi._

_I bet you're mad that I didn't tell you anything, ne? Now, now, don't look at this letter like you want to incinerate it with your looks or anything. Even though your looks itself could probably burn this piece of paper up already. Anyway, I know you know that I'm digressing, because I really don't want you to know, but since you're already reading this letter, I'm sure you know where I've went off to. You know me too well._

_Yes, I have gone after Sasuke, because he threatened to kill you, and the rest of Konoha. Knowing Sasuke's level, he will undoubtedly and easily destroy everything and everyone in Konoha. I know people would fight to protect Konoha, but I don't want to risk any deaths. I love Konoha, because it's my hometown, but what makes it my home is you. Without you, my life means nothing, absolutely nothing. You might think that Naruto and the others mean something to me, yes they do mean something to me, but you're worth more. Naruto's my brother; he's part of the family. Sasuke's just a comrade, I never realized it at first, but what I wanted from him was not love, it was just recognition. _

_I could write on and on about the things I still want to say to you, but I have to set off. Please don't come looking for me. I wish I could've written this letter a bit more romantically too. You can't be the man all the time, right? Someone's got to keep you in check. I beg you, please, as a request from me, keep yourself safe. Naruto too, but I'm sure he'll handle this well. I got his part covered. This might sound corny, but I'll say…er, I mean write it out. I love you, truly I do._

_Love always, _

_Your love,_

_Haruno Sakura_

He stared at the letter, looking at the writing longingly, hoping that if he stared hard enough, she'd come back to him in an instant. Kakashi set off to find Naruto after tucking the letter safely in his pants pocket, making sure the zipper on it was zipped up to the very top, not allowing the letter to make any escape attempts, and not allowing any of his hopes to disappear even through the tiniest of cracks.

**~-.-~**

Naruto sat atop Hokage Mountain, overlooking Konoha. He flung himself out on his back, looking up at the clouds, remembering the days when they had it easy. Sakura would fan-girl over Sasuke, his love for Sakura would be rejected, his fights with Sasuke, and his sensei that would do nothing but break up the fights when it got really serious. His eyes parallel to the sky, Naruto looked up at the clouds gathering, as if it was an omen, foreshadowing something uneventful to come. He would gladly welcome the rain; it gave him an excuse to say that he was not actually crying and it was just the rain's doing. A familiar chakra presence neared, and Naruto made no attempt to sit up or straighten his strewn self.

The two men laid out on Hokage Mountain and said nothing to each other, knowing what the other was thinking. Rain started to fall as the clouds overhead decided to empty themselves of their burden. Naruto closed his eyes and let the rain wash over his face, not making any effort in trying to stop the flow of rain from cascading down his whiskered face. Although the rain was cold, Kakashi and Naruto didn't show any signs of being chilled. It was Kakashi who broke the silence first.

"Yare yare, we seem to have a situation on our hands, eh, Naruto?" Kakashi said sheepishly while scratching his head.

He was met with silence for minutes, because Naruto mumbled something. "What can we do, Kakashi-sensei? Sakura-chan's made her choice, Tsunade-baa-chan forbade us from going after her, and the rain is probably washing away any trace of her lingering scent on the road. The chances of us being able to bring her back are slim to none." Naruto sighed. He paused before continuing on softly with his speech. "And… she promised to bring teme back, and if she promised me, I'm sure she'll do a better job than I did last time by promising her."

"I'm sure she will bring him back. It's how long this will take is the thing we both want to know, right, Naruto?" Kakashi surveyed Konoha with his normal eye, the Sharingan tucked out of sight behind his headband.

"…Yeah."

**~-.-~**

Team Hebi made camp in the middle of nowhere it seemed. Sakura slightly remembers the landscape, they were somewhere near Rain Country, the rumours where people who bore the Rinnegan kekkei genkai were living. _'Rain Country must be living up to their name; the rain hasn't stopped ever since we left the Konoha borders! My clothes are getting soaked too. And I didn't bring any clothes to change either, like how I normally do on missions. Then again… this isn't any mission. It's going to be a long mission with Sasuke. Doubt there'd be any time to breathe or think like how I am right now after this break.'_

Their camp consisted of shelter in a different cave than the one they had broken out of before. It seemed that the cave they went through was one that Konoha had closed before in case of enemy shinobi sneaking through it to get past the border guards. Sakura sat huddled in front of the fire, poking it with sticks every once in a while, to keep the fire alive. _'At least my clothes are drying fast. I would appreciate it if this redheaded chick shut up and let me sleep and she should seriously get a fashion magazine. She's basically wearing everything that screams out a 'Fashion No'.'_

As if on cue, Karin sits – _cuddles_ – next to Sasuke with her glasses off and started shrieking at the top of her lungs, saying she's cold and wants some of Sasuke-_kun_'s warmth. Sasuke paid no attention to her, except he looked very irritated since he was slightly handicapped with her whole body latched onto his right arm. Sakura's ears twitched a little at her old formality for her indifferent teammate, and her eyes almost got scarred by the disturbing scene in front of her. Having had enough, Sakura formulated a plan and got it into action.

"Sasuke-_kun_." Sakura purred. Sasuke looked slightly surprised at Sakura's voice and formality she just used for him. Well, as surprised as an Uchiha can look, she guessed. "I thought your taste in women was _much_ better than that… but if I remember correctly, you _are_ gay right? Didn't you and a fellow male classmate kiss once in front of the whole class?" she put an emphasis on the word 'are' to tease Sasuke just a little bit, but mostly she was trying to kick Karin in the face.

Karin look flustered and immediately let go of Sasuke's arm and scurried to put on her glasses. She then hurried to a place deprived of people in front of the fire, warming up her hands and her bare legs descending from her short-shorts. Satisfied, Inner Sakura gave a victory cry, and Sakura stopped what she was doing and grabbed her waist pouch and secured it on her waist.

"I'm going outside for a walk, I'll be back soon." she said to no one in particular, but she knew Sasuke was listening to her. Receiving no response, she thought it was a go-ahead and walked out of the dimly lit cave and into the shadows of the rainy night.

Sakura started running the moment she left the cave, she didn't care where; she just wanted to get away from the choking silence of Team Hebi's habits and activities. They didn't seem to do anything a real team would do, joke around and talk, like her team would have. Feeling a bit homesick, Sakura ran till she reached the edge of a cliff. Her kunoichi instincts told her that she shouldn't walk any further or she'd tumble down towards her death. Biting her thumb until she drew a speck of blood, Sakura placed it on the cliff.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

A white wolf, a figure as white as the purest snow of the north stood before Sakura. Even in the dark night, Sakura could see the outline of her summon, a summon that she had acquired through one of her S-Ranked solo missions.

"You called, Sakura?" his voice rumbled quietly into Sakura's ears.

"Yeah, I'm sure you already know what has happened, right?" Sakura quietly said.

"I don't have any authority to say whether your decision is foolish or not, but whatever you are doing right now has to have a reason, does it not?"

"Thank you, White Fang…You're not busy right now, are you? If you're not, can you…please stay here for the remainder of the night?" Sakura placed herself into White Fang's warm and dry fur.

White Fang didn't answer Sakura, for she was already too busy crying into his fur, and soaking a part of it already. Whatever the reason, he knew that Sakura didn't want to be disturbed, and he could tell how badly the situation was paining her. A moment's time passed when White Fang stopped feeling the ragged breaths of his master sobbing, and only felt Sakura sleeping on the side of one of his flanks.

White Fang didn't know how long it was that Sakura stayed on his side for, but a jolt of dark and vicious chakra shot through the night and alarmed him. He tried not to move his flanks too much so it wouldn't wake Sakura up, but he perked his ears and hoped to figure out from which direction the assailant was coming from. A glint of metal caught his eye and he immediately turned his head towards that direction, trying to protect Sakura from danger. What he saw was a pair of three-tomoe Sharingan eyes and its bearer was holding a very dangerous looking katana. Knowing the wielder, White Fang relaxed a little, but not enough to be totally caught off-guard.

"Sheath your katana, I do not mean any harm to Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke." White Fang rumbled.

Offensive man sheathed his Kusanagi, but left his Sharingan activated. He saw that Sakura was sleeping from the chakra signals detected by his kekkei genkai. _'She said she'd be back, but now she's sleeping here? In the dripping rain?'_

"I'll take her back now." Sasuke said impassively.

"Before you do that, I hope you will listen to me. It's not a demand, it's just a request." White Fang said.

Sasuke stood still, not showing any signs of aggressiveness to-be.

"I hope you understand why Sakura decided to come with you. It's for Konoha, and not you—"

"Mind telling me something I don't know?"

"You know you could have easily asked her instead of demanding her to come with you. We both know that she will do anything to prevent Konoha from any danger and anything to bring her old teammate back to Konoha."

"Are you finished?" Sasuke rudely asked.

"If you miss her company even if just a little, you should show it, instead of making her feel that she's in an unwanted position on your team. If that's really how you want to make her feel, then don't even ask for her assistance. Even though you can mask your emotions easily and brush everything aside and reside in your own solitude, I hope you can understand that Sakura is very different from you." White Fang made a motion of standing up, indicating Sasuke should take Sakura.

"We'll see." was Sasuke's pert reply as he deactivated his Sharingan.

Sasuke picked up Sakura bridal style from White Fang's side and started walking back to the cave that the rest of Team Hebi were at. As he looked down, Sasuke saw that Sakura's eyes were puffy with the aid of the sliver of moon that had shown up after the rainstorm; dried up tear tracks were left on her face. He set her down in front of a tree, and leaned her against the trunk. Activating his Sharingan once more, Sasuke used one of his hands to gently lift up one of Sakura's eyelids, not waking her in the process. With his Sharingan, Sasuke delved into her memories deeply, looking at the things that had happened ever since his departure 7 years back. He didn't care if it violated her rights; all he wanted to know were the reasons for her tears.

'_Just embracing, being embraced, only this'

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Feeling melancholic? I certainly aim. ): Please review!~_  
_

_- Kanryu _out_  
_


	5. Chapter 5

There is a lemon in this story, but only if you keep reading :)

**Disclaimer**: Kishimoto owns Naruto, whereas I only own the plot :( **The GazettE** owns the song **Gentle Lie** and the lyrics at the bottom of every chapter. Please give them a listen :)

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**Chapter 5**** - _Gentle Lie_

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**

Sasuke was surprised, surprised by the pain Sakura had experienced within the time frame he'd left them for. And…what went on between his old mentor and teammate? Sasuke's eyes widened slightly as he probed even deeper into Sakura's memories; he knew he should stop, but it was her fault to be so vulnerable, right? As memories of when they were in the academy started to appear, Sasuke deactivated his Sharingan and kneeled in front of Sakura, with his arm propped up on his knee.

Lifting a hand to touch Sakura's face, Sasuke's eyes softened as he touched the faintly visible tear tracks on her pale skin. Sakura started to move, no, twitch under Sasuke's hand; it seemed she was having a nightmare. As he put his hand on Sakura's shoulder, Sasuke pondered on whether to wake her, or leave her so he could see what the nightmare was about. He chose the latter option.

"Please…I don't want you to die…" Tears commenced streaming down on Sakura's face. She jerked violently, throwing Sasuke's hand off of her shoulder. "Who…take care…of me now…"

Sasuke didn't know what to do. He hasn't really been around enough women or girls to handle them under hysterical or twitchy conditions. Sasuke remembered one thing, from his older brother, Itachi, when they were much younger, before Itachi ended up massacring the whole Uchiha clan save him.

"_Otouto, remember this, when girls are crying, silence them with a kiss. Yes, you heard me right, a kiss, and a hug as well." _

_Sasuke's mouth dropped open, and started to insist on that girls have some sort of foreign germs that guys didn't have. _

"_Sasuke, girls don't have cooties, that's just a myth." Itachi chuckled amusedly at him._

"_But aniki! I can't do that! Girls at the Academy are already running after me, screaming my name every time I pass by them. It hurts my ears. They even have hearts coming out of their eyes!" pouted Sasuke. Itachi ruffled his hair with a small and rare smile._

"_Well then, otouto. I never told you to just randomly go up to a girl and kiss her. I fear for the victim's life by the other mood-swinging girls that are madly in love with you." laughed Itachi._

"_What's…a mood-swing, aniki? It sounds…dangerous." Sasuke innocently asked._

"_It's nothing for you to know as of now, Sasuke. Now, go run along, aniki has to go off on a mission."_

"…_Okay, Itachi-nii-chan."_

Sasuke was snapped out of his reverie as he felt Sakura's fingers graze his arm, where his armguards were. Sasuke hoped that the next thing he was going to do won't wake her; he didn't want to be caught doing some act of kindness. Lifting his hand from her shoulder, Sasuke lightly enclosed his hand over hers and held it gently. He shifted their positions and slipped underneath Sakura, and hugged her close to him, her head resting on the crook of his neck. After moments of shivering and twitching, Sakura stopped, and he felt her hand grip his tightly. A random thought came to him as she did that, _'I bet she's dreaming about being in Kakashi's arms right now.'_ The thought made him feel oddly uncomfortable, but he brushed it aside quickly, hoping that the feeling that brought him discomfort was only because of their odd positions and closeness.

**~-.-~**

The moment of peace was disturbed as Naruto and Kakashi heard sobs from behind. Both turned around to see a man in a green spandex overall with a bowl haircut and oddly thick eyebrows. Kakashi looked exasperated whereas Naruto looked revolted as both of them saw him. This was clearly what both of them did not need right now.

"Oh my dear Sakura-channnnnnn! She has been assigned an S-Ranked mission just as I got back from mine! Is this fate? Am I fated to never meet her again? My dear youthful cherry blossom, hair as thick as the blood that runs through my veins, will I be graced by your smile once again?" soliloquised Rock Lee.

"Hey, now, Sakura doesn't belong to you. She never has and never will." Kakashi started as soon as Lee stated how Sakura was _his_ and not Kakashi's.

Rock Lee ignored Kakashi and continued on, now talking about Sakura's wide and clear"youthful viridian orbs" are. Naruto could sense that Lee's soliloquy was going to be a while, so Naruto decided to sneak away stealthily.

"Ne ne, Kakashi-sensei! Hurry, let's leave before Lee notices we're leaving!" Naruto whispered behind his hand at Kakashi. He pulled on Kakashi's sleeve, hoping to pull him away from the rambling rock-head. Kakashi struggled for a moment before being towed away by Naruto.

"With her round hips and luscious long legs, Sakura-chan is just like an angel." continued Lee.

Naruto felt the weight on his hand lifted. He turned around and saw his ex-sensei standing beside an unconscious Lee. Naruto started, "Kakashi-sensei…you didn't need to do that, dattebayo."

Kakashi crinkled his eyes at him which meant he was smiling his old and crooked smile at Naruto. "Do what Naruto? It seems Lee-kun has gotten too tired from spouting off his proclamation of love to Sakura."

"Jealous bastard." muttered Naruto.

"I heard that." replied Kakashi.

"Haha…heard what Kakashi-sensei? Let's go spar in the training grounds; yeah that sounds good, dattebayo!" Naruto loudly decided.

"…Some kids will always be kids. Coming, Naruto."

**~-.-~**

Sasuke woke up to the warm rays of a new day. The rainstorm from earlier had stopped altogether and meagre rays of sunlight shone down on both him and Sakura. Sakura. Sasuke never expected her to be huddled so tightly against him. Slipping back into his cold and emotionless mask, Sasuke quickly pried their tightly held hands apart and placed Sakura gently back onto the hard, cold ground of Rain Country. After Sasuke made sure Sakura was still sleeping, he bolted back to the cave where Team Hebi was. His being MIA is probably making Karin irritating the others again. He sighed. _'All I want are strong people to help me with my mission. I never asked for annoying teammates. Well, exclude one.'_

Arriving back at the cave, Sasuke heard an argument that concerned him between two of his companions.

"Yeah, see? Sasuke's still not back yet. Sakura's probably right. You're too slutty for him and so he ran off with another woman who is more properly dressed." mocked Suigetsu.

Sasuke never compared Sakura and Karin physically but he knew Sakura never flaunted off her curves, even though Sasuke knew they were there; last night assured him that, what with their close proximity. Speaking of which, Sakura wore something different than the last time he saw her. She no longer wore her red and pink outfit. Black shorts still covered her long legs whereas her top was completely different. Wearing a white tube top with a wider mesh tube top covering it, the two articles of clothing were covered by a black vest-like shirt that were tied together by a white ribbon (**A/N**: Similar to Kurenai's except she doesn't have a ribbon). The vest hem covered half of her rear end and the top of the vest slightly showed a bit of the mesh shirt. The black shirt had large armholes, allowing people to see part of Sakura's white tube top with the mesh. The criss-cross pattern of tiny purple threads across the vest made Sakura look sharper. On her arms were black and stretchy open-finger arm warmers going up all the way to her bicep area. Her feet were covered by black sandals, similar to Naruto's, but it had a tiny heel to it. Sasuke liked her modesty, she was humble and knew her place and didn't pry. On the other hand… Karin was just the image of a slut. The end.

"I am too properly dressed!" shrieked Karin. "I have a shirt, shorts, and sandals just like that Pinky does!"

"Yea-huh. Your shorts are just like a pair of underwear that gets caught in between your butt crack. Your shirt? Don't even get me started. Your shirt exposes your belly, and it's not even all that nice either. And your sense of fashion is totally off, I'm a man, but at least I know what looks good on ladies. Oh wait, you're not a lady, you're a man—"

"YOU SHARKFACE! HOW DARE YOU LECTURE ME ON FASHION SENSE? LOOK AT YOURSELF IN THE MIRROR FIRST. WHAT YOU'RE WEARING IS A FASHION NO!"

"Oh yeah? Well, Sakura dresses decently, she doesn't flaunt off her curves, although I'd like to see them…" Suigetsu muttered the last part of the sentence to himself which Sasuke caught with his attentive ears.

"WHAT CURVES? I HAVE MORE OF A CHEST THAN SHE DOES!" Karin screeched.

"Alright, you want to settle it? Next time we reach a town, we'll go rent rooms at an inn, and Sakura the lady and you the slut can compare bust size in the onsen, okay? Great." settled Suigetsu.

"IF THAT'S HOW YOU WANT TO PLAY IT. FINE WITH ME. WE ALL KNOW WHO'S GOING TO WIN."

"Yeah, and that's certainly not you." Suigetsu smirked.

At this point, Sasuke was done listening to the endless argument and sent a bolt of his raikiri into the cave. A yelp and a shriek of dismay erupted from within the cave, making Sasuke smirk. Entering the now silent cave, Sasuke saw his three teammates sitting quietly on the floor after his eyes got adjusted to the dim interior.

"If you have time for idle talk, go train yourselves." stated Sasuke. "Useless arguments are not needed."

"Yes, Sasuke-sama/kun." Juugo and Karin said.

"Sasuke-kun, if you'll excuse my asking; where did you go for the majority of the night?" Karin boldly asked.

"…It's none of your business. We're setting off in an hour. Get ready." Sasuke said as he turned his back towards his teammates and out again into the rare rays of sunlight of Rain Country. Juugo eyed him as he left; it seems he was the only one that noticed Sakura's scent lingering on Sasuke's clothes.

Retracting his arms from his loose shirt, Sasuke let his shirt hang from the purple rope belt around his waist. Walking up to a stream, Sasuke dumped his head into the water for several seconds, before his dripping head emerged from the water. Looking at the droplets of water coming down from his hair, obscuring his reflection, Sasuke absorbed the silence around him; the droplets of water sounded like thunder. Anger surged through him, as he remembered Sakura's memories, her intimate time with their old sensei.

'_She said she loved me when I left. When we saw each other again…that one time with that new leader of theirs, she still had eyes that told me she loved me. But who would've thought she would be with someone as old as Kakashi? Damn it!'_ Sasuke sent his raikiri throughout the small stream from his submerged fist, earning a squeak from something a small distance away.

Sasuke slowly rose from his knelt down position and walked past a few trees and bushes. From behind a cluster of trees, he could distinctly see a surprised pinkette nursing her slightly burnt hand. Sasuke saw that Sakura had scrubbed herself free of tear tracks and her swollen eyes were reduced to their normal size. _'She must've used her chakra…'_ As Sasuke thought that, Sakura channelled her chakra into her singed hand, healing it almost immediately. After doing so, she got up and started to head back to the cave and left Sasuke in the cluster of bushes. He stood there for several minutes, water dripping down his back and into his shirt, before he quickly slipped his shirt back on and headed back to their hideout.

Sakura was in distraught. Last night, she was crying into White Fang's fur, and the next thing she knew, she woke up lying on a tree trunk. But the thing she couldn't forget was…the warmth that enveloped her when she was sleeping. She knows it couldn't have been her summon, because he would have still been there when she awoke. Sakura remembered the warmth that she thought only one person could have given her. _'It couldn't have been Kakashi… he doesn't know where I am. No one knows where I am. Who could it have been? The warmth felt so real, so…there. Oh my goodness. I've only been away from home for a day and I'm hallucinating. Ugh. Snap out of this Sakura!'_ She walked back into the hideout, and saw that Karin, Juugo and Suigetsu had cleaned the cave out, and left no signs of human habitation.

"Where's Sasuke?" curiously asked Sakura.

Juugo responded to her inquiry. "Sasuke-sama seems to have gone off to refresh himself, Sakura-san. He said we are going to be leaving in an hour. An hour has almost been up, so he should be back soon. Sasuke-sama."

Sakura whipped around to collide with a solid chest. Juugo caught her as she stumbled back. Cold, hard, onyx-black eyes stared down at her, making Sakura feel chilled from the intensity of the gaze. Droplets of water fell onto Sakura's arm; she realized that half his shirt was soaked. _'Was he at the stream too? Was that where the electric shock came from…?' _Juugo let go of her as Sasuke issued for them to leave the cave and on to their next destination.

"Thanks Juugo." smiled Sakura. Even a little bit of kindness made her feel welcome in this team of an icebox. _'If only Sasuke can show some emotions…'_

"SASUKE-KUNNNNNN!" screamed Karin. "YOU'RE ALL SOAKED! LET ME DRY YOUR SHIRT FOR YOU!"

Karin ran up to Sasuke, only to be repelled by his raikiri. She stood, stock still, surprised at Sasuke's defensive actions. As Sakura and the rest caught up to her, Karin immediately slapped Sakura in the face, catching her by surprise.

"It's because of you that Sasuke-kun has gone all weird! If he didn't go after you last night when you didn't come back after a few hours, he wouldn't be like this! Bitch!" Karin screamed loud enough for Sasuke to hear, albeit his distance from the group.

Sakura had had enough. Body-checked she was fine. Insulted and slapped? Not so much. Sakura punched Karin square in the stomach; the punch sent her flying past Sasuke into a tree and embedded her halfway into the tree trunk. Sakura slowly walked up to her, and said very clearly and loudly what was on her mind.

"I've had enough of you. Your issues with Sasuke have nothing to do with me. I'd like it if you don't force any of your frustration on me. I have done nothing to offend you and I don't even know you. In my village, it is very disrespectful to hit people without a good reason. Your reason is nonsensical, because it is childish fangirling." Sakura reached Karin and lightly slapped her across the face. "I won't say it again. Think outside the box, girly. You're not all that pretty, and truthfully, Sasuke doesn't like girls who spout off useless nonsense all the time." Sakura looked over Karin. "It can't hurt for you to check out the clothes stores next time we go to a town. It'll do you some good. Everything you're wearing just screams for critical comments." Sakura then walked off, leaving a surprised Team Hebi in her wake.

"Touché, Karin. She totally got you!" Suigetsu snickered while he looked at Karin who was caught in the tree.

"Shut up, Suigetsu. Get me out of here." Karin said.

"What'd you say? I can't hear you." he mocked.

"GET ME OUT OF HERE, YOU FUCKING MORON!"

**~-.-~**

Juugo and Suigetsu supported a limping Karin. They were a distance away from Sasuke and Sakura; the two of them stayed in an awkward silence, neither one of them spoke to each other. Sasuke was the first to have broken the silence.

"Why did you hit her so lightly? You could've punched her farther away than that, last time I saw." Sasuke turned his head away from Sakura as he spoke. It was as if he didn't want to look at her.

Sakura noticed the oddness in Sasuke's behaviour, but she shoved it aside as if it were a casual thing. "I just don't want to waste any chakra on healing her is all. I'll have to heal her later on anyway; but I think it can't hurt for her to suffer a little while. She seems to have sprained an ankle; her foot was stuck at an odd angle when she landed into the tree."

Faint chakra signatures made Sakura stop her medical report to Sasuke. Both of them tensed, listening for the slightest sounds that might allow them to find the ambusher or ambushers' destination. Sasuke lowered his head, so his eyes couldn't be seen below his bangs and activated his Sharingan. Seeing about a group of around twenty ninjas, Sasuke angled his Kusanagi to make it easier for him to unsheathe it when the time came for it to be used. As he did so, an onslaught of kunai rained the two, making them quickly dodge out of the way of the sharp blades.

Skilfully sidestepping the offending blades, Sakura twisted nimbly around on the wet ground; the dirt and the water sloshed together, making the ground difficult to move swiftly on. Sasuke's Kusanagi flashed, fending off the kunai that came at his master every which way. As the barrage of knives neared to a stop, Sakura slipped on the mud and fell, her hand flying out to catch herself. A kunai swiped across her upper left arm and thigh, while one stabbed right through the middle of her hand, causing blood to stream out relentlessly. Biting her bottom lip to prevent a cry from escaping, Sakura quickly straightened herself when a Rain shinobi landed on her. The two of them rolled fiercely in the mud, Sakura landing heavy blows with her uninjured hand. An electrical shock went through her as Sasuke slammed his Raikiri into the ground. Within seconds, Sakura rolled the unconscious shinobi off her and shakily stood up. She took a deep breath and yanked the blade out of her hand; a sound escaped her lips as she did so. Sasuke turned, just in time to see Sakura faint onto the cold and mud-spattered ground.

"Whoa, she sure seems to have been kicked around good. You positive she'll make it through the trip with us?" Suigetsu sneered. Karin seemed delighted with the thought of Sakura dying.

"Sasuke-sama, Sakura-san is still breathing, but it is getting shallower by the minute." Juugo reported.

"We need to get her to a resting place fast before the blood loss gets too serious." Sasuke blankly said.

"A small town is up ahead, Sasuke-sama, but it will take at least an hour to get there by foot."

Without another word, Sasuke took off with a heavily injured Sakura in his arms. Blood stained his hands and clothes, making it hard for Sasuke to keep a good hold on her. He managed to reach the small town in 15 minutes. The training he had with Orochimaru seems to prove useful. Putting a jutsu on himself and Sakura so they wouldn't be figured out by their appearances, Sasuke entered the only inn in the remote town with Sakura in disguised forms.

"I need a healer. My—" Sasuke paused, unsure of what to call Sakura.

The lady at the reception looked shocked, but she understood the situation, seeing as how much blood covered the man and the lady.

"Yes, please go to room 143, a medic nin will be there shortly." The lady left the key to the specified room before she scurried away to find a medic nin.

Sasuke took the keys and ran up the stairs to find the specified room. Finding the room, Sasuke fumbled with the key, his bloody hands making it difficult for him to hold Sakura and insert the key into the tiny keyhole at the same time. Getting frustrated, Sasuke nimbly flipped Sakura onto his back and twisted the key in the keyhole. The door started to swing open, but it nearly got blown off it hinges as Sasuke brutally kicked it open and placed Sakura gently on the white bed.

Someone knocked on the opened door that Sasuke had forgotten to close earlier. A female healer rushed in and immediately began to work on Sakura's injuries. After half an hour of immense chakra-spending, she told Sasuke that Sakura was no longer in critical condition. She only needed to eat plenty of meat to restore her blood loss, and she should try not to be on her feet unless absolutely necessary. Then the healer asked Sasuke a question, which caused him to inwardly flinch.

"Ah… it was most likely an accident that couldn't have been prevented, sir." smiled the medic nin. "She should be getting up shortly; I have healed the deep cuts. Tell her not to move her injured arm so much, or else the wounds will reopen. Also, her chakra seems to have been messed around with, so I have properly rearranged her chakra channels as well, so that she can use it safely once more. Now then, I will be taking my leave now." Gathering her things, the medic nin was halfway out the door before Sasuke remembered.

"Oh, how much should I pay you?" Sasuke frowned. Raikiri definitely was not a good idea for comrades without the lightning element.

"It's free this time; I saw how worried you were for your wife while I was healing her. I haven't seen love like that for a long time. I hope both of you are more careful from now on." she bowed and left, closing the door behind her with a small click.

Sasuke stood dumbfounded and stared at the door for a few minutes after the medic nin had left. He snapped out of his daze when he heard the bed rustle. Sakura had moved her head so it could get to a more comfortable position on the pillow. She was still asleep, her expression peaceful, and it seemed that she wasn't in pain anymore. Activating his Sharingan, Sasuke saw that her chakra routes were indeed flowing regularly once again. Sasuke looked down at himself the white sheets; they were covered in smudges of dried blood. He took off his blood-soaked shirt and stuffed it in the sink of the bathroom adjoined to Sakura's room. Going back into the room, Sasuke found fresh sheets in the bedside table drawer. Taking off the top layer, he found that Sakura's clothes were covered in blood as well. Placing the fresh sheets on a chair, Sasuke carefully tried to take off Sakura's vest, trying hard not to wake her and jar her injured arm. Successfully slipping her vest off, Sasuke couldn't help but notice her well-developed figure. A pale, slim waist with a decent bust, long legs and a pretty ass; the only thing that affected her beauty were the bandages that covered her left arm and hand. Her hair was long; she had a clip that secured her hair to her head, but the barrage of kunai from earlier ended up breaking the clip. Guilt worked itself into his heart, he never intended for her to get hurt to this extent.

Getting up, Sasuke threw the dirty sheets and Sakura's vest into the sink; they joined his dirtied shirt. Swiftly changing the sheets, Sakura now rested in a queen size bed swallowed up by the thick and fluffy sheets. Sasuke pulled up a chair from the corner of the room and sat himself in it. Slipping his hand under the sheets, Sasuke picked up Sakura's uninjured hand and held it to his lips and kissed it. He looked at her, his face regretful; it was as if he was trying to tell her something telekinetically, words that he couldn't speak aloud.

"I never thought you were annoying. I didn't want you to get hurt, that was all. An avenger can't develop feelings for anyone, or else he will be distracted from his goal. I should've listened to you then by bringing you along with me that time, when you tried to stop me from going to Orochimaru. An Uchiha never regrets anything they do. But, I guess this time, it's a first for everything." Sasuke spoke softly, his voice barely audible to his own ears.

Sasuke leaned in, his face hovering several inches above Sakura's; his hold on her hand tightened as he kissed her.

'_Without wishing anything else. Truth can't been seen "If you wish [to] look"'

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_

So here's the fifth chapter! I hope I didn't disappoint you guys in any way :( The end will be INFINITE times better, I promise. :) Review please!

_- Kanryu _out_  
_


	6. Chapter 6

Hope you enjoy...and are enjoying it!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto. This story plot is owned by me. The GazettE owns the actual song Gentle Lie and the lyrics at the bottom of every chapter.

* * *

**Chapter 6**** - _Gentle Lie_****  


* * *

**

Sasuke opened his eyes and stared at the clothes and sheets covered with Sakura's blood waiting to be washed. Throwing them all into the bathtub, Sasuke turned on the water and turned it off after the tub was half-filled. The submerged and stained sheets turned the water red. Sasuke bent over, putting his hands on the edge of the bathtub and supported himself. Thoughts infiltrated his mind.

'_She means nothing, absolutely nothing. An avenger can't love anyone until his tasks are done. Bonds are useless and are absolute hindrances.'_ He argued with himself.

Feeling a familiar chakra, Sasuke looked out the small window of the bathroom and spotted the rest of Team Hebi. Cracking open the window, Sasuke threw the room key at Juugo, knowing fully well that he would be able to catch it. He walked out of the bathroom and waited by the room's door until the trio arrived. All three of them looked somewhat mussed but without any injuries.

"Oh, Sasuke-kun! We were ambushed by some Rain ninjas! I'm so glad you're safe!" Karin screeched.

"It wasn't that bad, there were only four; Jugs and I wiped them out easy." Suigetsu explained. "She's exaggerating with the word 'ambush'."

"My ankle is still bad! I can barely walk on it!"

"Your fault you got someone irritated." was Suigetsu's response.

"Hmph!"

"Are you done? The medic is sleeping." Sasuke curtly said.

"Ah, Sasuke-sama, were both of you assaulted by Rain ninjas as well?" Juugo politely asked.

"There were roughly around 20 ninjas that came out and attacked Sakura and I."

"Oh, Sasuke-kun, that's terrible!" came Karin.

Sasuke continued on as if he never heard her. "She got injured by a couple of them; the injuries were deep and caused her to have a rather heavy blood loss. A medic saw to her earlier before you arrived. She should be waking up in a few hours. We'll be staying here for the night and setting off again tomorrow."

"I thought she was supposed to be a professional ninja, not an inexperienced immature one." Karin muttered.

"How she was injured is none of your concerns." Sasuke harshly said. That shut Karin right up. "If that's all the information you have to give, leave now."

"Sasuke-sama, after the ambush, Karin said she sensed Uchiha Itachi's chakra. It is not far away from here."

Sasuke tensed as he heard the information. "Is that true, Karin?"

"Y-yes, Sasuke-kun. I would recognize that sinister chakra anywhere. It is rather far from here though; it is about a day's journey." She stammered. "If we go after them right now, we should be able to catch up to him relatively quick."

"Hn. Do you think we can catch up to him with Sakura in this condition and you with a sprained ankle?"

"…"

"Get a room and rest for the night. We start off _early tomorrow morning_." Sasuke finalized.

"Yes!" the trio said all at once and Karin and Suigetsu left as Juugo closed the door behind them.

"Sasuke-sama, do you think it is wise for Sakura-san to come along with us?" Juugo asked.

"Her healing abilities rival that of Tsunade, one of the Legendary Sannin[s]. She will be useful when she heals up." Sasuke answered. "Rest now so you won't be a hindrance on the journey."

"Hai, Sasuke-sama." Then he left the room, leaving Sasuke and Sakura alone again.

**~-.-~**

Itachi looked at the sky, his Mangekyou Sharingan blinding him with each passing second. Although the sun was shining at where he was, he could barely make out the colours of the sky and the lush scenery in front of him. The wind blew past him and swept his bangs in front of his eyes. His hand instinctively went up to brush them behind his ears. He relished in the rare calm atmosphere of the usually war-infiltrated country. War. The thing he has always hated. Battling was also such a chore for him, more deaths, more blood spilt, and more cries of the grievous and dying ones.

Earlier, he had allowed his chakra to be felt by one of Sasuke's comrades. He was waiting for them, knowing it would take Sasuke less than a few days to catch up to him. Then, it would be their battle, their last one, as blood-related siblings.

He coughed and his hand went up to his mouth. Uncovering his mouth after a spasm of coughs, he looked at his hand: it was covered in sticky and red blood. The medicine he is taking will only last for so long, no medicine can keep a person alive for eternity. It can only extend their time for so much. His organs also have their own limit; he could've gone to a medic ninja to treat it, but he decided not to. Holding onto the past of him slaughtering his whole family except Sasuke, the grief and terror that have gripped him for so long, he will soon say his goodbyes to them.

'_Little brother, have you enough hatred in yourself to finally kill me?'_ he wondered to himself.

**~-.-~**

"Naruto. I have a new mission for you. This is S-Ranked and not to be taken lightly. Call as many experienced ninjas as you can find." Tsunade ordered. "Within half an hour."

Naruto bowed and took his leave. Running all over Konoha, he managed to round up Hinata, Kiba, Neji, Shikamaru, Rock Lee, and Shino.

"Hey Naruto, what's this mission that Tsunade's just assigned you?" Kiba asked.

"She didn't say, she only said it was an S-Ranked mission. It's gotta be some pretty dangerous mission if she herself puts it as S-Ranked." Naruto thoughtfully said. "The last time I remember we had a group this big was for…rescuing Sasuke."

Shikamaru spoke up. "It's alright Naruto. We're older, more mature, and smarter. I have a feeling this mission will be involving Sasuke however, so be prepared."

"It might involve Akatsuki…you never know, Shikamaru."

"That's why being a ninja's so troublesome Naruto; emotions are hard to keep to yourself."

After the six have assembled in Tsunade's office, Tsunade filled them in with the information she had for them.

"Uchiha Itachi has been spotted around the border of Amegakure. We don't know if this is an illusion or not, but the man was wearing an Akatsuki cape and had red eyes. The only person that we know who is currently in Akatsuki that has that precise physical appearance is Uchiha Itachi. And with Uchiha Itachi around, Uchiha Sasuke will not be very far behind. Your mission is to take down Uchiha Itachi and possibly bring back Uchiha Sasuke alive, if possible." Tsunade commanded. "Kakashi will be your team leader for this mission and all of you have to listen to his commands, except for Shikamaru, because he will be assistant commander. Any reports will be sent back to me through Pak-kun. Kakashi will meet you all at the main gates. Dismissed."

All of them disappeared in a puff of smoke and in front of the main gates. Surprisingly, Kakashi was already there and not late for once.

"Yo." He smiled at them, crinkling his eye up.

"KAKASHI-SENSEI! YOU'RE NOT LATE FOR ONCE." Naruto screamed out.

"Maybe I should reconsider about being early next time, if I can avoid your yelling."

"Hmph."

"So that aside, Kakashi, what's the heads up about our mission?" Shikamaru asked.

"I'm sure Tsunade-sama already told you about why we're heading out on this mission. Uchiha Itachi has been seen around the borders of Rain Country, and basically we'd like to see him dead so he won't be of any danger to us anymore." Kakashi briefed over. "We are to make it to Rain Country as soon as possible and try to capture him. Shikamaru, I'll leave the formation of the groups to you, even though I know how they will turn out."

"If you say so, Kakashi." Shikamaru rubbed the back of his head. "Being assistant leader is as annoying as being the actual leader. Okay, so Kiba, you're first with me, since you can sniff out the enemy within a few kilometres' radius. Hinata, you're second; with your Byakugan, you can see what's happening around us. Shino will be third; his bugs will be able to detect any hidden chakra. Naruto, you'll be the fourth, since you'll be able to kill them off probably with one of your Rasengan[s]. Lee will be the fifth, since his taijutsu will be a great counter for anyone deciding to attack us from behind. Neji then will be the sixth; his Byakugan can help scour the area behind us to see if anyone is following us. Kakashi will be last, since his reaction time is quick and his Sharingan can give us an advantage if a ninja tries to do a jutsu that we haven't seen before. Everyone understand what they're doing?"

"Yeah. Yep. Of course. Dattebayo! Hm." were the multiple responses. Then the eight of them set off to Amegakure in the proposed formation.

**~-.-~**

Sakura woke up to a throbbing hand and head-splitting migraine. A figure was seen to be standing beside the window. Spiked blue-black hair was blurry to Sakura's eyes; her world was still incoherent to her, as she was still drowsy. As if he knew that she was awake, he turned round and looked at Sakura with his piercing onyx-black eyes. He walked towards her, his footsteps muffled on the carpeted floor.

"Sleep. We're leaving early tomorrow morning." The voice said.

Sakura liked the voice; it was so deep but at the same time it chilled her right through. The voice was void of any feelings and warmth. Then she remembered, she was having small talk with Sasuke when Rain ninjas attacked them. A kunai had gone right through her hand and a few grazed several other parts of her body. Blinking the sleep out of her eyes, Sakura looked up to see the impassive features of Uchiha Sasuke. Incoherent words came out of her mouth; she suspected she said something along the lines of "Where are we?"

"Amegakure. I don't remember you hitting your head, so don't talk like a child." He stingily said.

Even if she was drowsy and unaware of her surroundings aside from the killer migraine and throbbing hand, the words still stung. "So…y…I don't…remember…" she mumbled.

"As a medic ninja who's trained under the fifth, you sure can't seem to avoid being injured in a minor battle, can you?" he continued. "If this goes on, I might label you as an incapable kunoichi."

Sakura started to get mad, and that smooth voice of his was irritating her. Every sound that came out of his mouth was making her migraine worse. Struggling to sit up, Sakura felt that the sudden movement caused the wound in her right hand to re-open and that all her other wounds were straining to stay closed.

"Okay, look here, Uchiha. I made a blunder, I got injured. I am now stalling your important mission and I am sorry. Happy? Or do you want me to go on my knees and beg for forgiveness?" Sakura bluntly stated.

"Neither. Get some sleep so we can start off earlier tomorrow morning. When I say early, I mean early."

"Right. Sorry for my slip-up, _Uchiha-sama_." Sakura mocked.

Sakura walked to the bathroom and flipped on the lights with her good hand. When she unwrapped the bandages at the sink, Sakura saw that the wound did indeed reopen and it required some of her own chakra to heal up the wound faster. Casting the bandages aside, Sakura turned on the tap lightly so a small trickle of water ran from it and over her kunai gash. _'Holy f— this stings so much.'_ She thought. She dried her hands lightly with a towel and left it on the sink. The antiseptic that was left behind by the medic from earlier came in handy now. Slightly dabbing some on the gash, Sakura thought she was going to faint, what with the blood loss and the pain. _'Come on…I'm a kunoichi. Kunoichi[s] gotta handle the pain, the blood loss, childbirth and emotions all in one…What the hell? We have such huge roles!_'

Channelling chakra into her left hand, Sakura started on threading the cells deep in the wound together to heal the wound faster. After twenty minutes of non-stop chakra into healing her wound, Sakura was tired out. The wound was only half-healed, but it wasn't as deep as before. Any wild movements however would still re-open it. Re-bandaging it, Sakura sighed in relief as the throbbing pain stopped, temporarily, but her pounding migraine made her wince. Noticing something out of the corner of her eye, she saw that there was a tub with her outer shirt and bloody sheets soaked in water. _'Probably the maid decided to soak the things in cold water to get rid of the stains…'_

Grabbing a glass from somewhere in the bathroom, Sakura filled it with water and drank it all in one gulp. After a few minutes, the migraine was less severe and she ambled back into the bedroom and prepared to go to sleep, until _someone_ interrupted her.

"No one knows where you've gone off to, correct?" asked Sasuke.

"No one knows, happy?" she grumbled.

"If I know they're looking for you, you won't live." Sasuke blankly said.

"Whatever. You told me to sleep and now you've just disrupted my sleep. I could've gotten five more minutes of recuperating. Goodnight." Sakura grumpily said.

She flipped over, away from the window and tried to sleep. It was unsettling, how Sasuke's chakra was so strong and powerful. To be in this close proximity with someone with unlimited power, Sakura didn't know how she could sleep _peacefully_. As if Sasuke noticed her discomfort, he left the room and Sakura without a word, leaving her with peace and quiet without an intimidating aura to bother her.

**~-.-~**

"Shikamaru, how far are we from the supposed place where Itachi is?" Naruto asked.

"Well, we still have two days' journey to make. If we don't take any breaks, it'll only take us a day or so." Shikamaru replied. "I wouldn't advise it though, Naruto, heading straight into a battle with ninjas without any sleep for the past two days can cause someone to die."

Naruto didn't say anything in response to that, but Neji did. "Everyone needs a break, Naruto. Not everybody is able to keep up with your insane stamina. Even Jounin and ANBU will probably have a difficult time keeping up with your pace."

"…"

"He's right, Naruto." Shino added.

"Okay, is this ganging up on Naruto day or what. Everyone's just spiking me with words I don't want to hear. Don't you guys remember that Sasuke might be there? Doesn't that agitate you guys?" Naruto said through gritted teeth.

"Well yeah. Why else would we be here aside from Tsunade ordering us? I mean, we all had options of either continuing the mission or not when we first heard about it." Kiba stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Akamaru agreed with a bark. "And no one's ganging up on you; think logically for once, Naruto."

Naruto balled his hands into fists. This went not unnoticed by Hinata and Kakashi. "N-Naruto-kun. Please hold on a bit longer. It's only a-another two days' journey. It would usually t-take around five days to get there, b-but with our pace right now, we s-should get there r-rather quickly." Hinata stuttered.

"That's the spirit, Hinata." Smiled Kakashi.

Throughout the trip so far, the newly formed team found something rather odd. Rock Lee had not spoken since… well, ever since that time Kakashi had knocked him unconscious. But even if Kakashi and Lee are stationed at the back of the team, it shouldn't have been that quiet. Running ahead a little bit but making sure not to take over Lee, Kakashi saw that his usual jaunty eyebrows were downcast.

"Lee?" Kakashi asked.

Lee gave a loud sniff and broke out into a monologue.

"OH DEAR SAKURA-SAN. THE CHANCES OF ME BEING ABLE TO SEE YOU NOW HAVE GONE DOWN. I've been assigned a mission by Tsunade-sama and you were too. I want to see your youthful smile and your beautiful words of encouragement. Mayhap I will see you during this mission? If not, this blooming lotus will wither before he has even fully flourished!" sang Lee.

Six members of the team feared for Lee's life. All of them sped up their pace, leaving only Lee and Kakashi behind.

"Wait up, my youthful teammates! Is this a race? If so, it is on!" yelled Lee.

Kakashi caught up to him and hit him on the head, once again knocking him unconscious. He carried Lee's body nimbly with him as he caught up with the rest of the team.

"Aw, Kakashi-sensei. Did you do it again? Last time you knocked him out on Hokage Mountain, he didn't wake up for a day!" pouted Naruto, which made Hinata blush.

"Oh, don't worry Naruto; he'll forget everything when he wakes up. I didn't hit him very hard." The older man smirked.

The others didn't doubt his words. They feared if they did, they'd end up being like Lee as well.

"You're sure one pervert that gets jealous easily, Kakashi-sensei." Naruto muttered.

"What was that, Naruto?"

"Oh uhh…nothing."

"Good."

-7hours later-

Hinata was slightly panting and her face was flushed a deep pink.

Neji said something as he noticed the condition his cousin was in. "We should rest for a bit now, Naruto. Everyone can use a resting period."

Naruto turned around. Everyone did seem out of breath and looked tired. Seeing that he couldn't possibly go on alone, he sighed and stopped. Hinata almost fainted as soon as they stopped. Neji led her to sit on a log as the others took out their food rations and water.

"It is getting dark, it'd be best for everyone to get some rest and head out when dawn breaks," finalized Kakashi.

The tired ninjas answered with their actions as they all took out their bedrolls and seized their places before the recently lit fire. Naruto, Shikamaru and Kakashi stood atop a tree's thick branch and started to converse.

"Shikamaru, at the rate we're going, do you think we'll get there in time before Itachi and Sasuke leaves?" Naruto questioned.

"I don't know, Naruto. We can only hope. I haven't told you this before, but ANBU says that they've seen a pink haired companion accompanying Sasuke. Don't you think it's sort of odd? Tsunade's only assigned Sakura a mission like a week or two ago, and now we get news of this? I think something's up and I know you know something, Naruto." Shikamaru lazily said.

"…"

"Maybe ANBU got the wrong facts, I know it's not ordinary to see people with pink hair going around, but rumours have it that there is a redhead in Sasuke's group. Maybe the sun was shining too brightly and that the redhead got mistaken as a pink-haired woman." Kakashi countered.

"Yeah, what Kakashi-sensei said." Naruto mumbled.

"Naruto, how many times do I have to say this? You and I are on equal footing now, there's no more need to call me sensei anymore. It just makes me feel old."

"Kakashi-sensei, you are old. You can't say that's false. Now don't argue with me over this trivial matter."

"Now my student's countering my words? Yare yare, maybe I am getting old…"

"Okay guys, if you don't mind, I'd like to get some rest. Doing missions are troublesome and running off after Itachi and Sasuke isn't exactly my interest, if you get my drift. 'Night."

"Night." Kakashi and Naruto said in unison.

The blond haired man and his sensei sat on the tree branch, looking at the clear sky. The stars were out and started to twinkle at them, as if mocking them that they can see everything whilst they can't.

"Even if you can't sleep, Naruto, you should try to get some rest. This journey won't be easy." Kakashi lamely said.

"Same goes for you, Kakashi-sensei. When Shikamaru mentioned Sakura-chan, I saw the change in your expression, even though most of it was underneath that mask of yours."

"Worrying won't do both of us any good. I can handle most of the things, so just relax."

"Easy for you to say, we're so close to Sasuke…so close…and to getting back Sakura-chan as well. If we catch Sasuke now, then it'll be like catching Sakura too. It'll be two birds with one stone!" Naruto nearly shouted as he jumped up.

"Quiet down. The rest are sleeping and they don't know about the…situation between Sasuke and Sakura. It'll actually be three, since Itachi will be dead too, if we manage to catch all three of them. Catching one of them is already a huge feat, Naruto, please keep in mind that someone might die in this mission, albeit how strong they are." Kakashi sighed. "It means me too."

Naruto flopped back down on the branch at the mentioning of death. "I…have enough trust in our teammates to know they won't die. None of them will, because as long as their spirit is with us, no deaths happen, dattebayo." ~

**~-.-~**

Sakura awoke to something hitting her face. As she reached with her uninjured hand to grab it, a voice could be heard.

"Get up, Pinky. Sasuke-kun's waiting outside ready for us to go after his brother. You have thirty minutes. Meet downstairs after you're ready." Karin snootily said and slammed the door shut as she walked out.

"Thanks for the wonderful greeting, Karin." Sakura sarcastically said.

A thump could be heard on the wall from the outside, a sign that Karin had heard her.

Sighing, she looked at the thing that Karin had thrown at her and saw that it was her outer shirt. It was spotless and looked better than before, if possible. _'Must've been some maid to be able to make it this clean.' _Sakura thought. Carefully stretching, Sakura quickly made her way into the bathroom and turned on the shower to get cleaned. After ten minutes, she was clean and her wounds were almost gone with the healing she had just done with her chakra. Pinning her damp hair up with a new pin that she had found on her bedside drawer, she quickly brushed her teeth and washed her face. Making sure the bandage she had on her almost-closed wounds were tight enough but not too tight, she threw on her vest, clipped her weapons and pouch on her hip and ran out the door, after making sure nothing was left behind.

Arriving at the front of the hotel, Sakura saw everyone but Sasuke. On cue, Sasuke appeared, his hair damp like Sakura's but only because of the morning dew. Leaving no time for Sakura to breathe, Sasuke went straight to the point.

"Karin, do you sense his chakra anymore?" Sasuke asked.

"Yes. It's fainter than yesterday's, but it's still around the same place. It's about 200miles (322km) north-east of here." Karin quantitatively measured.

"Hn." Within a blink of an eye, all five of them disappeared and took off running towards the place where Karin had said Itachi was.

Quickly taking out a soldier pill (**A/N**: food pill) from her pouch, Sakura swallowed it, her throat easily swallowing the small pill. Sakura sensed someone watching her, and she looked to her left; Karin seemed like she wanted one too. Reaching her hand into her pouch once again, Sakura threw a soldier pill at Karin. With her reflexes, Karin easily caught the pill with her hands and looked at it.

"You saw me eat it, it's not poisonous." Sakura said.

"Whatever." Karin swallowed the pill and muttered a tiny, "Thanks", which Sakura caught.

"You're welcome." Sakura slowed down a little to match Karin's somewhat sluggish pace. Suigetsu, Juugo and Sasuke were farther up front, leaving the two women together. "You know…I haven't seen Sasuke in a long time, and although he's a good-looking man, I don't like him any. I already have someone so Sasuke's all yours."

"Why are you telling me this?" Karin questioned.

"'Cause what you do annoys me. It irritates Sasuke as well, but he doesn't show it only because he doesn't want to waste his breath. That doesn't mean he likes it." Sakura helpfully pointed out. "But if you want to continue on acting like a dependent woman, Sasuke won't pay any attention to you. He hates clingy women. He likes people that are independent and can take care of themselves."

"…"

"If you don't want to heed my advice, fine by me. Just don't bitch slap me again. I won't tolerate it next time. I already went easy on you earlier. And the name's _Sakura_, not _Pinky_." Sakura growled.

"…Right." Karin unwillingly said.

"Glad we got that over with." smiled Sakura. "Now let's go, they're a bit far ahead of us. Oh, and one last thing, who's 'he' that we're trying to find?"

"Earlier when you were unconscious, I sensed Uchiha Itachi's chakra around 200miles north-east of Amegakure. Sasuke waited for my foot and you to heal before he decided to set off." Karin filled her in. "Itachi's chakra still hasn't faded, it's a bit farther than where it was yesterday, but we should be able to catch up to him soon, at the pace we're going at."

"I see…then that means the final battle between the two will be taking place soon, no?" Sakura stated.

"I suppose so. I mean, doesn't his chakra feel tensed? I'm a chakra feeler specialist, but I think both Suigetsu and Juugo can feel how Sasuke's feeling at the moment. Can't you?"

"Yeah, that's why I was wondering."

When they reached the destination after eight hours of running without resting, Team Hebi halted to a stop.

"Karin. Where is he?"

"Sasuke-kun, the…chakra disappeared. It's nowhere to be found." Karin surprisingly said.

"Are you sure?" Sasuke asked.

"Y-yes." Karin timidly said. Sasuke's chakra was coming out in lashes that expressed his anger and fury.

Sakura's eyes widened as she felt a tremor. "Sasuke!"

'_No... I just want to change the words little by little'  


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Review please!~

- _Kanryu_ out


	7. Chapter 7

**I love you my reviewers and everyone who reads this story. _Thank you all._** I'm eternally grateful for the story alerts, reviews, favourite story-ed and everything :)

**Disclaimer**: Me no own Naruto. Kishimoto-sensei does! The plot of _Gentle Lie_ belongs to me! The song **Gentle Lie** belongs to **the GazettE** and the lyrics at the bottom do too!

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**Chapter 7**** - _Gentle Lie_  
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Kiba suddenly stopped; both his and Akamaru's nose were quickly sniffing out the air. He darted forward and then to the right and stopped.

"I can't sense his chakra or scent anymore." Kiba said. "Neither can Akamaru. It just suddenly disappeared!"

"Are you sure, Kiba? Maybe you and Akamaru are too tired." Kakashi reasoned.

"What the hell, Kakashi-sensei. We just had a break not too long ago. Akamaru and I don't get tired that easily." argued Kiba.

"Neji, Hinata." Shikamaru said.

"W-We're on it. There's no trace of Uchiha Itachi's chakra anywhere. T-there's nothing around here." Hinata stuttered.

"She's right. All traces of his chakra have disappeared." Neji supported.

"Damn it!" Naruto swore.

"Calm down, Naruto. If I'm not mistaken, there should be a small town close to here. Let's check it out and see where we can go from there." Kakashi calmly said.

"Kakashi's right, Naruto. We need to find a place to take cover since Itachi suddenly disappeared. We need a new plan." Neji piped in.

"Plan plan plan. What more preparations do we need? All we need to do is sniff out his scent and not his chakra and start from there!" Naruto yelled.

"Naruto-kun. That's irrational thinking." Lee said. "Ploughing headlong into a battle without planning is a terrible way as a shinobi."

Naruto went silent. He knew that his teammates had a point, but he honestly wanted to go get Sasuke back. With Sasuke…comes Sakura. A quiet sadness crept into Naruto's eyes as he thought about how close his companions were. _'So close yet so far…'_ Naruto thought.

"I'm sorry, everyone. We'll stop at the village ahead of here, just like Kakashi-sensei said." There was an awkward stillness as Naruto said that, until Kakashi broke it.

"Sounds good!" Kakashi cheerfully said. "Let's get moving. The longer we stall, the more distance we will have to cover to catch up to them."

"Hai!" they all shouted. As they all started running again after their momentous break, Pak-kun appeared.

"Kakashi! We need all of you back at Konoha immediately! Small countries around Konoha are under attack by the Akatsuki!" Pak-kun shouted.

Kakashi looked alarmed, as did the others. Naruto gritted his teeth, as he listened to the condition that Konoha was in. "A few members of Akatsuki seem to have infiltrated the small towns and cities successfully. They all seem to have special abilities that are unknown to a great many other. Tsunade-sama is putting on an evacuation order right now." Pak-kun rushed. "There's no time to rest, we have to get back now!"

Kakashi was deep in thought for a few seconds before he decided. "How is Konoha like right now, Pak-kun?" he asked.

"When Tsunade-sama ordered me to come get you guys, it seems like half the ninja force was already actively making preparations."

"Let's go, Pak-kun. There's no time to stall, Konoha needs us right now." Naruto said with a determined look. "There will be…other chances of being able to catch up to Sasuke. We only have one home; we have to protect it with all we've got."

"Naruto's right. We only have one home, one family, and when that's gone, we have nothing!" Kiba shouted.

"How about we cut the chatter and get back? I'm pretty sure that within these few minutes of idle chat, Konoha is in a more devastated state than it already is." Shino spoke up.

"Okay, let's waste no more time. We're heading back now." Kakashi finalized. Then they took off, the opposite way away from Sakura and Team Hebi.

'_Sakura-chan…I'm so sorry. If only…I had more time…'_

**~-.-~**

Sasuke took flight in Level 2 form as the ground beneath him crumbled away. Karin, Sakura, Juugo and Suigetsu were falling; the crater that spontaneously formed did not allow any of them to reach out for support. Karin was frantically trying to grab a hold of the closest thing to her: Sakura. Suigetsu and Juugo were trying to hold onto the rocks that were falling with them. Having difficulty manoeuvring her limbs due to Karin's weight, Sakura had to quickly bite her movable hand until it bled and slammed it on a nearby falling rock.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Sakura screamed.

White Fang appeared and immediately caught Sakura and Karin on his back. Looking around from White Fang's back, Sakura ordered him to quickly pick up Suigetsu and Juugo as well. After the four were safely suspended on White Fang's back, they gave a sigh of relief. The ground they ran on earlier was now a crater the size of a coliseum.

"What the fuck man. The ground just totally broke beneath us. It's not possible for something like that to _just_ happen right when we were _right_ there." Suigetsu whined.

"Uh, yeah, Suigetsu. There's something called a trap, ever heard of it?" breathed Karin.

"Yeah. Hear my sarcasm?"

"Actually, no." Sakura answered.

"Is everyone all right? Where's Sasuke-sama?" Juugo worriedly asked.

"Here." Sasuke answered.

"Nice of you to you know…drop by after everyone almost died, Sasuke." Sakura shot at him.

"Hn." Sasuke blankly responded. He knew they would've made it.

"And if we didn't?" Sakura challenged.

"Then you wouldn't be here." was his simple reply.

Sakura opened her mouth to counter his point except Juugo interrupted her before she could say anything.

"Sasuke-sama. I spot a village from here. Perhaps we should go see if we can find information of any sort relating to Itachi-sama?" Juugo pointed out.

"Hn."

Transforming back to his human state, Sasuke landed on White Fang and stood atop him for the rest of the journey to the village.

Sakura's legs felt wobbly as she slid down White Fang's back. The gate in front of the village was a gigantic metal gate that was around three stories high. The only flaw with the gate was that it was just a wrought iron bar gate that allowed any intruders to see what was exactly going on in the town. She didn't like what she was seeing at all. Provocatively dressed women and drunk-looking men were lining the streets. Oh, she didn't just not like what she was seeing; she hated what she was seeing with a passion, even though her boyfriend was into all this.

"Woo-hoo! Does this mean we get some women time, Sasuke?" Suigetsu wolf-whistled.

"We're not here for any of this, Suigetsu." Sasuke uninterestedly said.

"Aw, that's no fun."

"It'd be fun if we stuffed your head down the toilet." Karin growled.

"Maybe it'll be more fun if we stuff your head down first." retaliated Suigetsu.

"Guys, we don't have time to stand around arguing. Let's just get in and get some info and get out." Sakura exasperatedly sighed.

"How do you think we can get any information, Sakura?" Sasuke said.

"Gee Sasuke, I never thought you would've forgotten about the transformation jutsu we learned at the Academy."

"Have you been on any seduction missions?"

"A few. So I think I know what I need to do." Sakura thoughtfully said. "Just give me a few minutes and I'll be ready to head into the uh…sluttiest and biggest club or bar around."

"Whatever."

"Hey! Why can't I do it?" Karin whined.

"'Cause Karin, you'll scare the customers away." snickered Suigetsu. This earned a pout from the redhead.

"We don't have time to decide who's going in, just go, Sakura." Sasuke emotionlessly said. "I'll go in with you as backup."

"I can take good care of myself, thank you very much." Sakura haughtily said.

"Hn."

Ten minutes later, Sakura was dressed in a black mini-skirt and a luscious red spaghetti-strap tank top that stopped just above her belly button. Her legs were accentuated with three-inch heels: the high heels made her look taller and her legs much longer, making them look irresistible. She had let her hair down, since it was damp when she pulled it up, it is now slightly wavy after it's dried. She had transformed all her ninja gear into two bracelets; one on her left and right hand. If she needed any help, all she had to do was spike some chakra into the bracelets and her weapons would appear back into their normal state. Not that she needed any, what with her inhumane power and all.

"I found the bar with the most people coming in and out of there." Suigetsu said.

"No one saw you, correct?" Sasuke asked.

"Puddles of water don't get noticed, Sasuke."

"Hn. Go lead the way for Sakura, Suigetsu."

Suigetsu whistled. "Now I'd like to tap that."

"Shut up. Keep your comments to yourself." Sakura growled.

"Whoa, feisty. Just like how I like them."

Sakura threw her fist his way but he suddenly melted into a puddle of water.

"I like my abilities, it's so handy sometimes."

"You're stalling. Go." Sasuke ordered.

Sakura walked through the gates and into the streets of what people called Broken Dreams. Suigetsu had transformed into a shady man dressed in a large overcoat. His face was hidden underneath a dappled looking brown hat. Then again, everyone else looked shady in this town. Sakura donned a trench coat that went down to her knees, covering her skimpy outfit. _'Ugh. If only Kakashi saw me now, he'd rip me away from this mission and put Ino-pig in here or something. She'd love to be here in my stead, drooling over her Sasuke-kun with Karin.'_ Sakura wondered and shuddered at the thought.

"We're here." Suigetsu lowly said.

"Thanks for leading me here." Sakura answered.

"Wish I could see you in action. Who wouldn't want to see someone like you seducing a man?" Suigetsu lightly laughed.

"I'm _glad_ you won't see me in action. I might be making a fool of myself."

"Doubt it and good luck."

"Thanks."

Sakura entered the bar that had big bright pink neon letters flashing "Routine". She bit her lip to prevent herself from smiling at the ironic colour of the lights. '_This is no joke. I might get seriously raped here!'_ Sakura scolded herself. Darkness enveloped and blinded her from seeing objects in front of her. Loud music pounded in her ears, rendering her hearing chiefly useless to anything. She heard scuttling from behind her and quickly turned around, squinting in the dark to see who was sneaking behind her. Something grazed the back part of her heels and she immediately knew it was a mouse. _'Oh my gosh, are you kidding me?'_

Scurrying forward to the dim light ahead of her, Sakura nearly ran headlong into someone.

"Oh, sorry." Sakura apologized.

"Get going." The husky voice responded.

"Oh. Right. Nice of you to drop by and worry about my well-being." Sakura sarcastically responded.

She left her trench coat with Sasuke and continued to make her way through the dark corridor to the lobby, where every one was. When she got there, she saw strippers on the stage, dancing sensually to their audience: the aroused men. As a medic, Sakura looked around and saw that almost all men were…well, roused. The only ones that didn't were the barkeeps who were handing out drinks to everyone and that they were used to the stimulating actions the strippers usually do. Sitting herself on a bar stool, Sakura ordered sake. Thank goodness being with Tsunade helped raise her tolerance to alcohol.

"So, I haven't seen you here before." Smiled the barkeep.

"Yeah, I'm not a regular here. I work at a club a street down from here." Sakura huskily said.

"Ah…that explains a little." The barkeep kept his head slightly tilted, as he busied himself with getting her sake. But she knew that he was checking her out.

"Like what you're seeing?" she purred. "You're being stealthy, but…I'm even stealthier."

He smiled at her, unabashed that she caught his actions. "Excuse me for saying this, but what kind of man would I be if I don't check out a pretty lady?"

"Why, thank you."

"Here's your sake." He winked at her.

"Oh, I have a teensy question for you. I was wondering if you could answer it."

"Sure thing."

"Well…since we haven't been getting many…new customers down at the club, I was wondering if you saw any newcomers lately." Sakura said to him; her face looked slightly crestfallen at the mention of fewer customers.

Perfect act indeed.

"Hmm…that's some pretty confidential information you're asking there, pretty lady." He responded.

"Well, women like me have to keep the private information of our clients to ourselves. If you don't want to tell me, I won't force you." Sakura got up from her stool, her mini-skirt hitching up a little to expose more skin than she already was. Walking away slowly while swinging her hips seductively from side to side, she waited for the barkeep to tell her to wait up.

"Hey, don't go." He called after her.

'_Gotcha.'_ She smirked inwardly while putting on an innocent façade.

"I'm free for the rest of the night, so I guess I'll tell you…"

"Amori. The name's Amori."

"Alright, then. Amori it is." he wrapped one of his arms around her waist, touching the smooth bare skin of her midriff. Sakura wanted to flinch, but then it would defeat the sole purpose of her mission.

"It's only fair since you know my name, I should know yours." She purred.

"It's Kazaha."

"Ah, Kazaha-kun. Would you mind telling me of what you know now, please?" she begged. _Gross._

"Only if you know what to do." He smirked and led her to the stairs that went to the second storey of the bar.

Sakura giggled in response, playing her part as the seductress successfully. "Anything for you, sweetie." _'Sweetie? What the hell am I saying? Maybe Karin should've been the one to do this… Oh what am I saying? I'm in here already. I'm so not doing this again.'_

Kazaha and she reached his room. Grabbing a key from one of his pants pocket, he inserted it in and twisted it. The door swung open and the two entered; Kazaha kicked the door closed as he entered his room. He took off his black vest, shirt and tie and threw them in the corner. Sakura was surprised that he wasn't incredibly buff like how she thought barkeeps usually were; he was lean, though.

"So, what do you want to know, sweetie?" he asked.

"Well, have you seen any new men coming into this bar lately?"

"There were a few…one of them stood out the most though." He pushed Sakura down onto the bed, almost straddling her.

"What did he look like?" Sakura persisted. Kazaha's hands were uncomfortably but warmly slinking up and down smooth thighs.

"Hmm." He made a motion to kiss her, but Sakura quickly reversed their positions. Soon, she was the one that was straddling him. His wrists were caught in her hands, and her knees pinned his pants down, rendering both his arms and legs useless.

"Ah-ah-ah. Not so quick. I'm not done with my questions yet." She seductively smiled. "You'll get your just rewards in a few moments."

"Hmm…so I have an aggressive lioness on my hands, don't I?"

"Oh, if you only knew." Sakura smiled to herself as she remembered what Kakashi had told her. He had called her a fiend after their first night together. Of course, that had earned him a smack from her, but it was a loving one. Kakashi was only knocked out for half an hour after that, which allowed her to get dressed and showered before he awoke. "Who was the one that stood out the most?"

"He was wearing a black cloak with red clouds on it. His eyes were very unforgettable, they were red with…three black dots in the midst of it surrounding the pupil."

"Did he say where he was going to go after he came to this bar?"

"He did say that he was waiting for someone. As for where…I don't really remember. I think he said he was going to wait at the plateaus. Yeah, he said something about the plateaus. Do I get my just rewards yet?" He started to sound a little displeased.

Sakura could feel the heat and the bulge in his pants. It made her realize that she had to ask her questions fast, or the tables could be turned, even with her inhumane powers.

"Soon, soon. One last question." She teased. "When did he come in?"

"He was here a night ago. He had some martinis and left a huge tip as well."

'_So that means he's still close to this town…_' "Thanks sweetie, I think you just helped me earn some more money for the nights to come."

"Someone with a great body and looks like you, you'll be able to snag any man you want."

"Thank you." Sakura smiled sweetly down at him and released one of his hands; his legs were still bound to the bed by her knees. Quickly, Sakura raised a hand to his forehead and put him under a sleeping jutsu.

Sliding off his bed, Sakura made sure that Kazaha was asleep. Freeing her accessories and clothes from the bracelets on her hands, Sakura started to get dressed behind a screen in his room. The door swung open with a bang and Sakura almost died from shock.

Sasuke entered the room and only saw Kazaha on the bed. He heard a rustling from behind the screen and walked towards it. A voice made him stop.

"What the hell are you doing? Get out of here. I got everything under control. I'm trying to get dressed, damn you!" Sakura cussed softly.

"Hn. I thought you were actually giving him what he wanted."

"Yeah, that's why you see me whoring around with Suigetsu and Juugo every night, Sasuke." Sakura mockingly replied.

"Give him a memory that he'll be satisfied with."

"How do you suggest I do that? Memories aren't that easy to make, Sasuke."

"You're a medic. You know how the human mind works. Just create a memory and don't make it too choppy. Make his body react physically if you have to. We're leaving immediately." Sasuke left the room and closed the door behind him.

"Couldn't hurt him to say gratitude of thanks or anything. Seduction missions are the riskiest out of all of them. Even if kunoichi are supposed to be prepared to lose their virginity or dignity on seduction missions, we try to avoid it as best we can." Sakura mumbled.

Coming out from behind the screen, Sakura looked at Kazaha on the bed and sighed. Kneeling beside his bed, Sakura put her fingers on his forehead. She stopped as she remembered something. _'He can't have his cum all over his pants when he wakes up, it doesn't make sense with his dream.' _Sakura unzipped his pants and pulled them off, leaving him only in his boxers. The hard-on was clearly visible to her, since it seemed to be straining against the thin fabric of his boxers. Holding her breath, she pulled down his boxers as well, letting his erection go free.

Ignoring his erection and moving back up to his head, Sakura placed her fingers on his forehead and started to form a memory of her riding him to bliss. The memory itself was giving Sakura the creeps, but she tried to give him the most realistic memory she could muster. As she neared the finish of the memory, Kazaha reached his orgasm within his fantasies and spurted his seeds everywhere. Sakura dodged a few drops as she almost got hit by his fluids. Finishing with her successful creation, she went into his bathroom and washed her hands, wanting to be clean of the dirty touch.

She walked out of the room and closed the door behind her. Sasuke had left her trench coat on the screen, so she sported that as she walked out of the bar. No one noticed her entrance and exit. She hid in the shadows as she ran towards the gate, knowing that was where Sasuke and the rest were waiting. Reaching the gate, she saw that only Juugo was waiting for her. She had thought of the possibility that they might have left without her.

"I'm assuming Sasuke heard everything?" Sakura sighed.

"Yes, Sakura-san. He told me to wait for you so we can catch up to him." Juugo politely said.

"'Kay, let's go then."

Juugo and Sakura took off into the dusk, and hurried on after Karin, Suigetsu and Sasuke.

**~-.-~**

'_Sasuke was there that night when I felt that Kakashi was there?'_ Sakura wondered.

Sakura was getting confused with all the things going on all at once. Everything seemed so fast pace. Sasuke visits her. Leaves Konoha. Runs through Amegakure. Spend a night beside a cliff and feel someone warm close to you. Oh yeah, that someone warm seemed pretty comforting and so much like your boyfriend too. Then get injured and it seems like Sasuke took care of her? Itachi's chakra seems to appear. Seduction mission immediately after that. Where was the time to have a small breather? Nowhere.

"Juugo…I'm sorry to ask when we're on such a tight schedule, but Karin once mentioned that Sasuke went out to look for me during the first few days when I was with you guys?" Sakura questioned.

"Ah, yes. Sasuke-sama seemed to be worried or something of the sort and went after you when you did not come back following several hours. He didn't return till morning of course, before you by around an hour. I would assume that Sasuke was with you the whole night, not doing anything of course." Juugo answered.

"Oh…I see…" Sakura trailed off.

"Is something bothering you, Sakura-san?"

"Oh, it's nothing." Sakura quickly said. "It's just been on my mind is all. Nothing to worry about."

The two of them continued to jump quickly from tree to tree, closing up on the distance between Sasuke and her. Sakura looked forward and saw tiny specks of white, red and black. Pumping chakra into her feet, Sakura propelled herself faster and more swiftly through the trees and caught up to Sasuke with Juugo closely behind.

"How'd it go?" Suigetsu lazily drawled.

"Thanks. Well I guess. It couldn't get any worse or better. What do you expect me to say? It's better than the other seduction missions I've been on." Sakura concluded.

"Hmm…do you think that guy was worth your time?" Suigetsu continued.

"Excuse me?"

"Was he hot enough for your taste?"

"…What kind of question is that? I'm taken. I don't randomly whore around." Sakura said through gritted teeth.

"Whoa, keep your panties on. I was just joking."

"If you have time to joke around, how about you just shut up and think of what to do when we get there, Suigetsu?" Karin butted in.

"Aw, that's no fun. The leader should do that. Right, Sasuke?" Suigetsu said uncaringly.

A bolt of blue-white lightning shot out towards the four of them. They all scattered, as they tried to avoid Sasuke's electrifying anger. His aura was truly frightening, dark and malicious with a killing intent. Sakura worried about what would be the result of all this hate.

**~-.-~**

Sasuke was not a happy camper. He was in the corridor outside _that man's_ room when Sakura was getting the information. The voice that Sakura had, that…sultry tone, it made his breath hitch a little when he heard it. Not that he breathed very loudly or anything, but it just disrupted his usual calm demeanour. He wasn't bugged; an Uchiha can never be bugged. He was just uncomfortable with the situation. Yeah, that's right. He just wasn't used to _those_ sorts of missions. But, currently...Uchiha Sasuke does not have a girlfriend, not that he minded.

'_Why did she get irritated when I entered? It wasn't like I was going to rape her or anything…'_ Sasuke's thoughts trailed on.

The outfit she wore was very revealing. Need he say more? Any man would turn his head to look at a sexy woman. If he didn't, he was either blind or was just getting pounded into the ground by his girlfriend. The latter option seemed less plausible.

His heart clenched when he just imagined or thought of Sakura being with anyone else but him. No one can give her the security that he alone can give her. Not even Kakashi. No one. Only him. The thoughts of Sakura that he had looked at gave him a feeling of how Sakura felt towards Kakashi. It was so innocent and pure, so…un-animalistic. Her heart was shattered when Sasuke had left her. Naruto tried to help her, but it was useless. She would put on a fake façade everyday, just for him and the rest of the village. When she was alone, she would train herself to become stronger, to be able to be his equal. She would blame herself for her weakness and how incompatible in battle she was with him. Until he decided to butt in. No one could see through Sakura's façade, aside from Kakashi.

_He went over to her house one night and let himself in, with take-out from Ichiraku. He found her collapsed on her sofa with a cushion to her chest. Her lips were moving silently, but Kakashi caught onto all the words she said, what with his Sharingan and all._

"_Sasuke… where are…you…now?" Sakura mumbled._

_Kakashi sadly looked at his pupil and joy. She still didn't know the feelings he harboured for her were not only feelings of sensei and student; it was much more. He understood how important Sasuke is to her, it just bothered him. Sasuke's been gone from the village for five years now, and she still pined for him. Kakashi now hated the saying how "things never changed". He wanted to rub that saying in the face of the person who made it and grind it into his face. _

"_So many things…unheard…not said…" Sakura continued in her sleep._

_Not wanting to seem like a stalker or a creeper, Kakashi grabbed the take-out and went out the main entrance. Standing outside after the door's been closed, he did things the old fashion way and rang the doorbell to her house. The sound of someone falling heavily onto the floor could be heard quite clearly, along with the profanities that went along with it as well. As the door opened, Kakashi falsely crinkly-smiled at Sakura's appearance. Her hair was dishevelled and she was still clutching the cushion to her chest. She didn't seem to notice the plasticity of his smile, but it was most likely due to the mask he always wore._

"_Oh hey, Kakashi-sensei. What brought you here this late at night?" Sakura tiredly said._

_He held up Ichiraku's ramen as an answer. "Food's on me tonight. Haven't been seeing you for the past while." _

"_Oh…sorry, I need to go grocery shopping. Haven't had time lately, what with hospital duties and training." _

"_That's what I thought, so I brought some food over, knowing you would be awfully tired."_

"_Hey wait a second. I just saw you at the training grounds today!" Sakura protested._

"_Really? I've only seen a cover up of Sakura lately." He sighed at this point. _

"_I don't know what you're talking about." Sakura's eyes looked to the left as she said so. (__**A/N**__: When you ask someone something and they look towards the left, it's usually a sign that he/she is making up something untrue to tell you!)_

"_Let's continue this after we eat, alright? The ramen's getting soggy. Naruto will throw a fit if he sees how we are 'mistreating' his beloved food." Kakashi said._

_Sakura laughed at this. "Yeah, I bet he would."_

_Fifteen minutes later, after the ramen had been devoured, the two just sat in the hard-backed wooden chairs of the dining room with cups of tea in front of them. The hanging lamp from the ceiling casted a warm yellow light over the two figures. It distinctly showed how tired Sakura was, tired lines at the corners of her eyes and her mouth. She looked absolutely distraught._

"_Sakura…" Kakashi began._

"_You don't need to say anything, Kakashi-sensei. I know what you're going to say." Sakura said softly._

_He waited for her to continue._

"_No one can see me like this, Naruto can't see through my façade. He can't lie to save himself even, so I will know if he knows of my…situation, which he doesn't. Ino-pig can't see through me either, so…I'd like it if you kept this a secret, Kakashi-sensei." Sakura crestfallenly said._

"_Sakura, you don't need to say anything, I know what you're going to say." Kakashi inwardly smiled as he repeated the words of his diligent ex-pupil._

'_Before you desire the most loved, I want you to let go of this hand'  


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Thanks for reading! Review please!

_- Kanryu _out


	8. Chapter 8

Reviews always make my day. It's what makes my story worth posting up for you guys to read :)

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the song Gentle Lie or the lyrics at the end of this chapter, the GazettE does! but I do own the plot for this fanfic. Kishimoto-sensei owns Naruto.

P.S. There is a sequel out, and it is called **VELVET**! :)

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**Chapter 8**** - Gentle Lie  
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_Sakura looked up at him in slight shock. "Is it really that obvious?"_

"_No, it's not. I just have a knack for finding things out." _

"_Oh…right."_

"_I'm going to start, alright? Don't stop me until I get something wrong or until I'm done the story." Kakashi said. _

_Sakura responded by tilting her head down slightly. _

"_It's been such a long time, Sakura. I had hoped that you would have moved on. I know that Sasuke is still very important to you, but what can you expect from someone who is even willing to kill his teammates for his avengement? Naruto, Yamato and Sai almost got killed because of him. What with you being away from him with no forms of communication whatsoever, what makes you think that you can warm him? Your warm feelings are wasted on him, Sakura. As Sasuke's and your ex-sensei, it is not very appropriate to say such things. There are such better things out there in the world, friend gatherings, parties, and such. You've been attending the gatherings and parties, but you have noticed that everyone's off with someone else, right? Naruto with Hinata, Temari and Shikamaru, Ino and Chouji, etc. I've seen and heard the congratulatory greetings you've given the others, but even though no one else can see through them, I can. They look so strained. You're wrecking yourself like this, Sakura." Kakashi got up from his chair to indicate he was ready to leave to allow her to recollect her thoughts._

"_So I've been seen."_

_Kakashi turned around and saw that tears dotted the table which allowed him to notice that Sakura was crying once again. A small and steady voice reached his ears._

"_My shift is not until Friday, I have a whole day tomorrow to rest. Meet me at the large training grounds Northeast of Konoha at dawn." Sakura said quietly._

"_I'm free of missions as of now, so then, I will see you tomorrow, Sakura." Kakashi replied. As he resumed his walking out of her house, Kakashi rumpled her hair in a gentle gesture and left as he closed the door behind him. _

"_Thank you." Sakura whispered._

_Little did she know that Kakashi caught the tiny words of gratitude._

**~-.-~**

_Sakura stood on the vast ground of the training grounds. It was still fairly dark; the sun had barely risen from behind the hills. The air was slightly damp from the thin veil of morning dew. Tiny flowers of various different bright colours bloomed from the ground. The cheerfulness that the floral beings brought did little to lighten up Sakura's dampened mood. Sakura walked up to a light pink flower and knelt down beside it. Wistfully looking at it, Sakura snapped the stem of the small flower and twirled it between her index finger and thumb. It created a blur of pink and yellow. _

_The presence of chakra could be felt as Kakashi appeared a few metres behind Sakura. She flung away the tiny flower away from her as she turned to face her ex-sensei._

"_You came early." she said softly. "I thought you would've arrived late as usual."_

"_I went early to the memorial stone." Kakashi pertly replied._

"_I see…"_

"_Are you ready?"_

"_Hm?"_

"_You didn't invite me just for the sake of chitchat in the middle of a training ground, Sakura." Kakashi readied his fighting stance. "Hit me with everything you've got."_

**~-.-~**

"Sasuke…Sasuke!" Sakura screamed out.

"What." he venomously said.

"It'll take at least half a day to reach the plateaus. We've been running for the past eight hours. Even if you're a stamina-machine, we, your teammates, aren't."

"His chakra's fading fast."

"Yo man. I'm tired, Karin looks bummed, and Juugo seems like he's about to snap. Why don't we just rest?" Suigetsu tiredly suggested.

Sasuke didn't respond and kept on with his tiring and arduous pace. Sakura couldn't blame him for being…agitated to see his brother, but this was just too much. Jumping up, Sakura skipped to a higher branch and swung herself. The momentum she gained allowed her to land neatly just right in front of Sasuke, making him halt to a stop.

"Get out of my way, Sakura." Sasuke growled.

"Sasuke, _please_. We're tired." Sakura stressed as she stood up to face him. "We can't help when you face off Itachi and three of us are dead beside a tree or something from exhaustion. Besides, a rampant Juugo isn't something we need or want to handle right now. No offense to him, of course."

She motioned to the orange-haired man as she spoke. The expression on his face was one of depression and it seemed as if he was trying hard not to pass out or something akin to that. This meant he was rather close to losing his gentle self which meant his other personality would come out. Chaos would ensue if it did.

Sakura saw a slight tenseness in Sasuke's shoulders. She could clearly see that he was tired as well. His shoulders slouched a tiny bit, but Sakura figured that no one else could see it. She always had a knack for noticing the smallest of things. But for some reason, her hands itched to give him a massage that would take away the tension and exhaustion in his shoulders. Sakura felt confused at the feelings that surged through her, but she brushed it away as if it were something not irregular. Fisting her hands at her sides to stop the itching, she focused on the situation.

Sakura could see that Sasuke only needed a small push from her to give in, what with his exhausted self and all. He only showed his strong façade to encourage his teammates to never waver. Sakura wondered if his source of strength and power were derived from his hatred for Itachi.

"I said you'll assist me, not kill Itachi for me." Sasuke strictly said.

"I never said that. If we're dead from fatigue, wouldn't that pose more of an issue for you? You might trip over our corpses when fighting him." Sakura lightly said. "Besides, if you're not at your best when you fight Itachi, wouldn't that give you a disadvantage?"

"Hn."

"I take that as a yes for a break, Sasuke." Sakura smiled at him.

She looked to the others. They all looked…tired. It was as if the ambush really did take a toll on them, but they just didn't show it. The shock that came from falling down a huge crater most likely did not do any of them any good either.

"Umm…let's make camp here for tonight. We'll start off early tomorrow morning, so that we won't be that far behind." Sakura awkwardly said. She wasn't used to giving out orders; it felt so foreign to her.

Juugo, Karin and Suigetsu all plopped down onto the ground as soon as the word 'camp' left Sakura's mouth. They were glad that a break was bequeathed on them. Looking at them all, Sakura figured that aside from Sasuke, she was probably the one that was the least tired. Deciding to do them a favour, Sakura volunteered to find food and water for them all.

"You guys stay here, alright? I'll try to find some food and water." Sakura offered.

Karin looked up wanting to protest, but the look on Sakura's face made her stop. "Thanks." she mumbled.

"Whoa, slut-face said thanks. The world must be ending." Suigetsu exhaustively said.

Karin retorted by hitting him with the back of her hand.

"Nice to see you guys aren't as lifeless as I thought." Sakura grinned. "I'll be back soon."

Turning around, she saw Sasuke sitting in a hunched position, with his Kusanagi supported by the floor while it was propped up on his shoulder.

"I'll be back soon." she said only to him. The others didn't take note of the sublime message.

Sasuke looked at her eyes, finally giving her a nod of agreement. He understood that she wasn't giving such a feeble excuse as finding food and water for them to run away on her own. Jumping down from the tree that Team Hebi were in, Sakura closed her eyes and listened to her surroundings as she landed on the ground floor of the forest.

A tiny trickling sound reached her ears. She strained to hear which direction it came from and decided to head that way. Wherever there was water, there would always be food nearby as well. She learned this from her Shishou, if it weren't for her, she'd be long dead, and still the same naïve girl she was when she was twelve.

Reaching the stream, Sakura literally stepped into the stream by mistake. It was pitched black in the forest, as black as it could be in the middle of the night. It was still several hours before dawn, and nothing could be seen. Even her pale hand was difficult to see in the dark. Grabbing several bottles from her small bag, Sakura filled them up with water after she made sure the water was not contaminated with anything that might harm her teammates. Hanging them on her belt after she was done, she pushed some chakra into the palm of her right hand and lifted it above her head. The forest was lit up with a small green glow.

Sakura spotted some fruit on a nearby tree and jumped up several times to grab enough fruit for her and the rest. _'We can always come back in the morning to get some before we leave. We might even find some fish in the morning to fry, too.'_ Sakura absentmindedly thought to herself. As she made to leave, she didn't notice a dark shadow pass behind her.

She got back to where Team Hebi were in due time and they looked grateful to see her back. After several minutes, the food was all devoured and they were soon sleeping, aside from Sasuke and Sakura. Sasuke jumped down the tree and onto the forest floor after Juugo, Karin and Suigetsu fell asleep. Sakura looked down towards the darkness, not seeing anything but blackness.

"Sasuke?" Sakura called out softly as to not wake her teammates. There was no response.

Looking at the comfortably sleeping people, Sakura sighed. Producing a replica clone of herself, Sakura ordered her clone to guard over them. Satisfied that her clone wouldn't disappear without a moment's notice, Sakura leapt down the tree after Sasuke, worried if he was going to continue after Itachi all by himself. As she landed, Sakura once again, closed her eyes and listened to any movements within the dark forest. She strained to hear something, anything, but nothing would reach her ears aside from the trickling of the stream. She couldn't sense any chakra either, aside from the gently pulsing chakra of her associates.

Sakura sighed. The forest was pitched black. She wanted to shut her eyes and sleep, but she didn't want to if Sasuke was not around. It gave her a feeling of insecurity for some odd reason. It was something she couldn't quite place her finger on. Being around him too much was causing her to act oddly, she assumed. The reason why? Not acknowledged.

"Sasuke?" Sakura tried to call out for him again. Her voice seemed inaudible within the soft blackness of the night.

A hand was placed on her shoulder and she almost screamed. The ball of chakra that was flickering in her palm sputtered out, but not before she saw whose hand it was.

"Oh my God, Sasuke. Did you have to do that?" Sakura exasperatedly sighed. She tried to calm her racing heart as she made out the faint outline of her partner in the dark.

"What is it?" Sasuke ran his hand through his uneven and spiky raven locks as he spoke to her.

"I just wanted to…make sure you didn't go after Itachi while we were resting…" Sakura trailed off as she just realized how stupid she sounded. Sasuke wouldn't betray the trust his teammates had in him.

"All people need rest, Sakura."

"Right." Sakura bit her lip to hold back some of the words she wanted to say. _'That's why you're running around in the black forest, Sasuke.'_

"Come." Sasuke suddenly said.

"What?"

"Follow me." was all he said.

As Sakura made a motion to light her palm up again with her chakra, Sasuke grabbed her wrist gently but firmly to stop her.

"We don't need a light. If you do that, any spies or enemies will figure out our location." Sasuke said to her harshly.

"Sorry I can't see well in the dark, Uchiha-san. Not everyone has the same unique blood trait as you do." Sakura whispered. She rolled her eyes as she said so, not that he could see what with the dark shadows.

Sasuke took her hand roughly as he led the way. "Happy now?" Sasuke asked. "You won't get lost now."

Sakura wondered if that was humour in his voice as he asked that question. She decided not to answer it, since it seemed sort of rhetorical. If she answered yes, then it would give the impression that she was still fangirling over him. She isn't, is she…? If she said no, then it would make her look fussy. A simple silence would suffice for the situation she was in.

Their feet weaved through the foot-high grass as they made their way across the dim forest. The hand in Sasuke's hand started to tingle – _burn_. It was warm and pleasant that gave her a sense of safety. She always imagined that Sasuke's hands would be cold, similar to his exterior expression that everyone saw. But what her skin was telling her was completely contradictory to what she had thought. Sakura felt a pang in her chest as she just realized that it wasn't Kakashi who gave her this feeling, it was Sasuke. There was no _tingle_ between her and Kakashi, it was just warmth. There was a slight chemistry between them, but…not as strong as this.

'_Nothing's going on, I'm just slightly chilly, that's why I'm feeling all this.'_

**Hey girl. Thanks for shutting me out last time.**

'_What the hell are you doing here! Get the fuck out!'_

**You know if I do that, it literally means that you'll be dead, right?**

'_No one's dealing with the technicalities here except for you.'_

**What technicalities? I'm just here to tell you what you're thinking right now.**

'_I don't need you to tell me what the hell I'm thinking right now.'_

**Sure seems like you need some help there.**

'_In your dreams.'_

**More like Sasuke in your dreams.**

'_Okay, what?'_

**Oh, I see now. So **_**that**_** caught your attention eh?**

'_Shut up. Just tell me what you have to say and leave.'_

**You're falling for Sasuke all over again.** Inner Sakura shook her head as she said that to outer Sakura.

'_W-what? No way. I'm just cold.'_

**Right. That's why you're thinking about Sasuke and not Kakashi.**

'_I'm thinking about both here!'_

**Yeah, you're thinking about how Sasuke makes you feel hotter and sexier than Kakashi does.**

'_What the hell are you smoking?'_

**Exactly the same thing you are, I just know what I want more. Or rather, you.**

'…'

**Well, it seems like you've reached your destination, since Sasuke's stopped. I'm out.**

'_Hey wait!'_

Then she was gone, leaving behind a slightly perplexed Sakura. Sakura wanted to put her head in her hands, wanting to shove out the invading and confusing emotions. The sudden release on her hand gave her a bit of a surprise.

"Look up." Sasuke ordered.

She did so. The sky above was filled with an explosion of stars. Sakura stared; she took in an audible gasp of astonishment. Amidst the dense forest of trees, Sasuke had managed to find a small clearing without a canopy of trees to block the sight of the beautiful and clear night sky.

The huge amount of twinkling stars in the sky made Sakura feel small. The scenery was breathtaking, so calm, it wasn't the scary calm that came before a typhoon or a storm, it was…relaxing. It was a small comfort. She sort of guessed it was because that the stars could be seen anywhere in the world, well, in her hemisphere anyway. All her friends could see it, everyone, this view wasn't hers alone, but for some reason, she felt special and unique at that very moment. This view, only she was the one who could see it from her perspective right now. Well, aside from the ever so mysterious Uchiha Sasuke who was standing silently behind her.

"Why did you bring me here, Sasuke?" Sakura asked. She tore her eyes away from the remarkable scene in front of her and looked at him in the dark shadows of the trees.

"It was just on a whim." Sasuke easily replied.

"Thank you." Sakura honestly smiled at him for the first time in a long time. It was sweet, something she never expected from Sasuke. She returned her gaze to the starry map above their heads.

"Hn." Sasuke felt funny when he saw that smile. It was so content, so satisfied. He wanted to see it again…and again.

Sasuke remembered that she always did get amused and delighted by the smallest of things. There were too many to list from the top of his head, but he remembered that stargazing was what she liked within the list of numerous things. Walking next to Sakura, he laid himself down on the ground and closed his eyes with his arms behind his head. Sakura looked at him at his sudden movements and saw him lying beside her with his eyes closed. Lightly sitting down beside him, Sakura stretched her legs out in front of her. One hand on the grassy forest floor with one hand propped up on her knee; Sakura found the situation slightly awkward.

"I don't rape people in their sleep, Sakura." Sasuke said.

"I never thought about that." Sakura quickly said as she averted her eyes from Sasuke's. She felt an oncoming blush, even in the cover of the night; she feared Sasuke would see her like that.

"Go to sleep. We're setting off in the morning, just as you said." Sasuke said.

"I know." Sakura sighed. She rolled onto her back and away from Sasuke. The grass was chilly and she instinctively rolled herself into a ball to provide more warmth. A shuffling sound could be heard behind her. A few seconds later, a back was pressed against hers.

"Better? If you're cold, just say so."

"…Thanks." Sakura steadily said. Her heart was pounding so hard that she was afraid Sasuke would feel and hear it. If he did, he said nothing of it.

"Hn."

She barely slept that night.

'_I know that I can't return'  


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Thanks for reading! Reviews are much appreciated!

- _Kanryu_ out


	9. Chapter 9

Thanks for everyone's support! I love you guys :)

**Disclaimer**: I'm getting sick of these =_= Maybe I should just put the disclaimer in the summary. Kishimoto-sensei owns Narutooooo. I only own the plot for Gentle Lie. the GazettE owns the song and lyrics Gentle Lie, and they are awesome :)

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**Chapter 9**** - _Gentle Lie_****  


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The soft rays of early morning sun shone onto Sasuke's face. Sasuke was awake for quite a while, but a weight on his chest kept him from moving. Sakura's head was right in the centre of his chest, with the left side of her face pressed above his heart. Her hand had a fistful of his shirt in a gentle grip. To his amusement, he saw that she had bed hair, or…grass hair. Pieces of grass were sticking out from odd angles in her hair and the clip that held her hair together was slightly off angled, making her hair look tousled.

Sasuke stiffened as soon as he heard a groan escape Sakura's lips. She seemed dazed as her eyes opened to take in her surroundings. Seeing Sasuke, she only stared at him for a few mere moments before her eyes widened.

"Sasuke! What're you doing here?" she confusedly asked as she sat up.

"I brought you here last night and then we fell asleep. That's all." Sasuke replied. "Then I awoke to find you sleeping on me."

Sakura blushed as he said the latter. "Sorry about that. I didn't know how that happened."

"Hn." He stiffly got up and stretched.

Noticing Sakura was trying to get the grass out of her hair, Sasuke gently brushed her hands aside and started on getting the grass out. Undoing the clip holding her hair up, Sasuke clipped it onto the side of his shirt and let her hair fall. Combing it through with the teeth in the clip, Sasuke managed to get all the kinks and grass out of her hair. His hands lingered on her hair as he decided whether to help her pin up her hair or not. The softness of it made him wonder if she still cared so much about her appearance, just as the female Sound ninja had said eight years ago in the Forest of Death.

Holding the clip over Sakura's shoulder, Sasuke started to retreat back into the dense forest as she fastened the decoration on her hair. A voice made him pause.

"Sasuke." Sakura said softly. "Thank you, for everything."

"…"

"A little bit of kindness here and there can't hurt." Sakura's voice had a smile in it.

Sasuke turned around to face her. Her smile was so serene, so beautiful and breathtaking that it made him ache inside.

"…"

"I believe avengers with emotions are the strongest of them all." Sakura softly stated. Then she walked past Sasuke to head back to camp.

"I harbour these feelings of kindness…because of you." Sasuke said to particularly no one. Sakura was too far away to hear his words of appreciation.

**~-.-~**

Karin, Suigetsu and Juugo were still asleep when Sasuke and Sakura got back with a few sticks of fried fish. Replica clone shadow Sakura was still functioning, so Sakura was glad to know that nothing had happened during the night. Sakura readied to wake up the other members from their slumber.

"Hey, guys, wake up." She gently shook them by the shoulders as she called out to them. She gave Suigetsu a hard kick in the shoulder instead of a gentle shake.

"Oh—hey wha? What the hell was that for?" Suigetsu yelled.

"You weren't waking up. Thought you needed an extra something to get your system going." Sakura smirked. She thrust a stick of fish towards Suigetsu, who grabbed it from her hands and started wolfing it down.

"Juugo, do you feel you're stable enough?" Sasuke asked.

"Yes, Sasuke-sama. Thank you for worrying."

"Here." Sasuke held out another stick of fish out for Juugo.

"Oh, thank you."

"Hn."

"So uhh…you really hungry there, Karin?" Sakura absentmindedly asked.

Karin's share of fish was already half-eaten and all she could do was nod as she continued to eat. She gulped down her last bit of fish and disintegrated the stick as to not leave any remains for any oncoming spies of any sort.

"Haha, very funny, Sakura. When are we leaving?" Karin asked expectantly.

"The when depends on if you can still feel his chakra, Karin." Sasuke said.

"Yeah, it's still there. We should get there in half a day." Karin trailed off as she reported to Sasuke.

Sakura glanced at Sasuke, worried at how his reaction would be to Karin's statement. His face was tight and his right hand rested on the hilt of his Kusanagi.

"Sasuke—" Sakura started, but she was cut off by him.

"We're going." Without a word, Sasuke left his team behind and took off into the early afternoon rays. Sakura followed closely on his heels as she turned around and gave an apologetic look to the three being left behind.

**~-.-~**

Itachi turned his peripheral vision towards the forest; the chakra of his little brother and his comrades were approaching. It would only take them a few hours or so for them to arrive, what with the pace that Sasuke had set for them. Standing up, Itachi allowed the wind to brush over him in a gentle feeling one last time, before the final showdown. This will most certainly be the last one he will ever partake in.

Reaching into the inside of his jacket, Itachi took out several pills and merely gave them a glance before he swallowed them. Medicine can only keep a man alive for so long. Even with the extensive amount of knowledge shinobi have in medicinal herbs, theories and practices, the human body can only take so much. Itachi could only count the many mistakes he'd made in the past that caused the lives of many people.

Although Sasuke is still not strong enough to defeat him, the terminal illness within his body will not allow him to function for much longer. And…as always, the soft spot he has for him will always get in the way of things. Teaching Sasuke to hate was another one of his errors; he never intended for it to get this far. He only wanted to fuel Sasuke to gain more power and end his life, his traumatized life of regret. Hoping Sasuke would not follow the same path as him for the entirely wrong reasons, Itachi sat down once again and started writing; the last piece of writing that anyone will ever see from him.

**~-.-~**

The greenery quickly rushed past Team Hebi as they headed towards the plateaus. Their pace was fast, but after the night of rest, everyone was energized and ready to go. All except for Sakura. Every so often, she would accidentally graze a branch with her arm or a leg, and she would inwardly flinch. With her conflicting emotions distracting her, they were making it difficult to concentrate on the nearing end of the task assigned to her and the team.

Sasuke noticed everything that Sakura was doing. The way how she would stumble slightly and graze a tree branch or trip on her feet. Well, tripping on her feet was an exaggeration, but he wondered what was wrong with her. He slept really well last night, probably because of her presence, but he still wouldn't dare admit that. If Itachi figured it out, he would have her killed in no time, due to 'useless bonds' that get in the way of his so-called life mission.

Thoughts of regret infiltrated his mind; if only he hadn't ran off with Orochimaru and left everyone at the village like that. If only…he stayed, so that he could have made Sakura _his_. She was everything a guy could have ever wanted. She's brilliant, strong… maybe just too strong, independent and she has the guts to take risks. Maybe because it was his leave that made her this way, but he wished to see her develop, physically as well but that was beside the point. If he had stayed, would she have turned out the way she was now or would she have stayed the same as the weak girl who had always wanted his respect and recognition? He knew her spirit was strong, and that was one of the things that had attracted him to her in the first place, but his thirst for power was even more luring than her will of fire.

Looking to his right, Sasuke saw that Sakura did indeed seem tired, her pace was slower than the rest and the team had to slow down just a little to match her tempo. Sasuke stopped and told the rest of the team to go on, save Sakura.

"Go ahead, head to the plateaus without me for now. I'll be there shortly. Sakura, I have something to say to you." Sasuke ordered.

"Alright." they said and headed off, with glances toward one another.

Sakura looked at Sasuke confusedly at his orders. "What is it, Sasuke? I thought you wanted to head to the plateaus right away."

"I do. Your movements aren't as swift and nimble as before. We had quite a bit of rest last night."

"Oh, um, well…I just didn't sleep very well last night. A mosquito was buzzing around my head all night, and I couldn't catch it, so it really irritated me." Sakura trailed off. She knew it sounded lame, even to her own ears.

"Is that all?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow as he looked at her.

For some reason still, she just couldn't seem to look at him straight in the eye. "Yeah."

"Instead of having wasted our time, you could've just said so." Sasuke sighed. He turned his back on Sakura and kneeled down. After several moments, Sasuke wondered why Sakura wasn't getting on. "You getting on or what."

"Y-Yeah." Sakura stammered. Lowering herself onto Sasuke's back, Sakura wrapped her arms lightly around the top of Sasuke's shoulders as he supported her. His Kusanagi was just below her bottom, but it wasn't stabbing her. The arms supporting her gave her a sense of comfort, and she found herself wanting to sleep as he started off into a sprint.

"Won't this tire you out?" Sakura worriedly asked. "We have a big battle soon."

"If I'm tired out this easily, I think my training that I've done for these past few years have all gone to waste." Sasuke smirked amusedly. "Take these few hours to rest. Hold on tighter; falling off would be a disgrace."

Sakura could say nothing but nod. Wrapping her arms securely around Sasuke's upper shoulders, she buried her face into the crook of his neck and hoped that he could not see or feel her flushed face. Allowing herself to be selfish for once, Sakura basked in his warmth and drifted off to sleep.

_She was crying in the middle of the woods once again. Bullied by her classmates, Sakura didn't have anyone to back her up or help her through these rough times. No one cared if she went missing, no one would look for her. Her parents were too busy with assimilating in this new town to even worry about their daughter's image amongst the crowd of little children._

_Today in particular, was an extremely bad day for her. The classmates made fun of her big forehead again, and made fun of the unnatural colour of her hair. Also, she got labelled as the class outcast, due to her unusually high grades and quickness in able to learn the jutsu that everyone else had trouble learning. After class was over, she was pelted with tiny rocks, pushed around and had fallen on the ground numerous times. Bruises were forming all over her body, but it wasn't because of the physical pain that she was crying for. It was for the emotional trauma that she was suffering that made her wonder if her existence actually made a difference in anyone's life._

_Her ears caught a movement in the bushes close to her. Stifling her whimpering by firmly biting her own hand, she stopped the audible sounds, but the tears that continued to flow down her face disallowed her to see her surroundings. Quickly scrubbing her eyes with the back of her hands, her swollen eyes took in a sheet of paper that was situated right in front of her._

"_It…wasn't there a second ago, was it?" Sakura wondered._

_She took the piece of paper and opened it, just to have a piece of silky black ribbon fall from it. Picking it up and gently holding it in her hand so it wouldn't blow away, she started to read the letter…or rather note._

_**It's not worth your time. You're smart, so stand up for yourself. The day when you have confidence in yourself and in who I am, wear this ribbon and come see me. I'll be waiting to see how much you've grown.**_

_Standing up so fast that she almost fainted, Sakura steadied herself and began searching through the bushes, hoping to find the one who has given her a tiny speck of hope. A small fragment of hope to believe in, at least someone cares, someone knows she's alive is all that Sakura needs. Oh, she feels like she's alive all right in front of the tormenters, but they don't see her for who she is. They only see her as a prey, something so easy to snatch up and kill and rip apart. _

_After half an hour of searching through the bushes, Sakura gave up and decided to head home; night was setting in. Panting and clutching the two gifts to her chest, Sakura cried out a thanks to the woods. It echoed back to her in a loud voice. Satisfied, she ran towards the exit of the woods and back towards her house. A small thump could be heard several minutes after she left. A small boy with spiky, blue-black hair followed her home, to ensure her safety. The dark colour of his shirt permitted him to stay under cover in the shadows, something he was grateful for. _

_He reached home fifteen minutes after he stealthily saw Sakura home. She didn't notice his presence at all, he was quite happy to say. This just adds a little bit more experience in training to be a great ninja just like his brother. _

"_Sasuke-kun, okaeri." Mikoto smiled as she saw her son running up to the front door and into her outstretched arms._

"_Arigatou, okaa-san." Sasuke smiled back as he hugged his mother._

"_Hmm…mind telling okaa-san what you're so happy about?"_

"_It's nothing. Just did a lot of extra training is all." _

"_Oh, really? But…I saw you buying a black silk ribbon today. Don't tell me I can't recognize my own son." Mikoto slyly said._

"_You mean this?" Sasuke thrust out his hand with a black silk ribbon in it. Thank goodness he planned to buy two._

"_Yes, that. Is it something you can't ask your mother to buy for you?" She worriedly asked._

"_No, okaa-san. It's just that I want to be independent now. Itachi-nii-san has already been independent for so long, and I don't want to be too reliant on Otou-san or you either." Sasuke averted his eyes to the left as he made up a story for his mother. It wasn't particularly untrue; he did want to be more like Itachi and be more independent._

_Mikoto sighed. "So what do you plan to do with this ribbon, Sasuke-chan? Is it for a girl?" _

"_No, mother. It's for Itachi nii-san. You know, his birthday's coming up in a month and everything, and the shopkeeper said that it was a limited edition type of ribbon." Sasuke quickly spat out._

"_Ah, I see. Is that it?" Mikoto laughed. "Run along, Sasuke, dinner's on the table for you. Oh! You have several cuts on your face, were you reckless with your training again?"_

_Sasuke touched his face, and indeed, smudges of red showed up on the tips of his fingers. "Maybe just a little." Sasuke sheepishly looked at his mother. Telling his mother he was running through the woods just to see a girl home would not make a good impression on his father if he happened to overhear. _

"_Okay, okay. Hurry and go eat then shower, and then come back out so I can help bandage up your wounds. Even if you want to be independent, Sasuke-kun, at least let your mother do something." Mikoto winked at Sasuke as he walked past her and into the house._

_Sasuke sat in the bathtub as he rinsed himself of grime and blood. He placed a hot towel over his eyes and leaned his head against the tiled wall of the bathroom. The steam rose up to the window and out through the cracks. The sky outside was a beautiful dark blue, full of bright white stars that twinkled down at the people below. He had taken the black silk ribbon with him into the bathroom, but only so because his mother wouldn't pry and end up checking how much the ribbon was. Sasuke heaved a sigh as he had to play questionnaire with his mother at the door just as he got home. _

_Truthfully, he didn't know how he got the scratches all over his face and arms. It must've been when Sakura suddenly stood up and immediately started thrashing through the bushes as if she was looking for something. Well, in her case, someone. He had no choice but quickly jump up from the bushes and into the trees above. Several scratches were nothing in comparison to being found out. Imagine how the girls at the school would be if they found out that Sasuke was playing the fairy god-lover. Now that's something to be scared about. But he saw how she was securely gripping the ribbon in her hand. He knows that it'll be in good hands for now. At the speed that she was at when she was trying to look for him, he was sure that she was going to be strong one day. It's just a matter of time and the amount of encouragement she gets from everyone around her. _

_Sasuke lifted the towel off of his eyes and threw it into the hamper beside the bathtub. Placing his hands on either side of the square tub, he heaved himself out of it and dried himself off with another towel. Gently tying the silk ribbon onto his right arm, he then put on a new shirt over it, covering up the black ribbon and the various cuts on his body as well. 'What Mother can't see won't hurt her.' Sasuke smiled. He then walked out of the bathroom and into the living room._

"_So Sasuke-chan, where's the ribbon?" Mikoto persisted._

"_Nowhere. Can we not talk about it now? Nii-san might be coming home any moment." Sasuke sighed._

"_Itachi's on a mission. He won't be home for the rest of the night." _

"_Oh, okay. It's a secret okaa-san. I can't just tell you. I know what you're thinking still. It's for nii-san, not for a girl." Sasuke continued._

"_Well, I can't help it, Sasuke. You're just at that age where every girl is falling in love with you." Mikoto sadly sighed._

"_Mother, it's not falling in love. It's infatuation. I don't like any of them." _

"_Oh my goodness! You know what the word infatuation means! Sasuke-chan is growing up!" _

"…_I'm eight, okaa-san. Such vocabulary is normal for an Uchiha." Sasuke flinched as Mikoto applied some disinfectant on his face wounds._

"_Don't move, or else you'll scar that pretty face of yours." Mikoto seriously said._

"…_You can't be serious." _

"_I am dead serious! I want my grand-children to be just as cute and handsome as you are!"_

"_Mother, can we…not talk about this right now? I'm only eight, and I'm not really thinking of having anything to do with girls right now." _

"_Alright, alright. Your wounds are bandaged up, but don't apply too much pressure on them when you sleep or else they'll open up again."_

"_I know, kaa-sama. Goodnight." Sasuke respectfully said to his mother before he headed upstairs to bed._

"_Oh, Sasuke-chan! What do you want in your obento tomorrow?" Mikoto called out after him._

"_Anything is fine." _

"_I'll make some rice with soy sauce mixed into it accompanied by egg rolls and octopus wieners. I'll add some fresh cherry tomatoes in another box as a snack for you. Those are your favourite, aren't they?"_

"_Yes, Mother."_

"_All right then, Sasuke. Goodnight." Mikoto cheerfully waved at Sasuke from the bottom of the stairs. _

_Sasuke tiredly walked up the stairs and entered his room. Shutting the door behind him, Sasuke fell onto the bed with a happy sigh. Untying the ribbon from his arm underneath his shirt, he threaded it through his fingers, marvelling at how soft the ribbon was. Slipping off the bed, Sasuke quietly lifted one of the floor boards up from under the bed and took out a box. Opening it, in the pale white glow of the moon, a few shuriken and two kunai were situated in the box. _

_After, the box was nestled back in the hiding spot of beneath the floorboards. Now resting in the box along with the other two is the black ribbon. And it would not be taken out for a long time after that, because today was the last day where all of the Uchiha would breathe the fresh air._

_Tomorrow was the day of the Uchiha massacre._

**~-.-~**

Sakura awoke violently from her dream. Or…was it even a dream? Her heart slammed against her ribcage as she stared ahead of her, only to see a mass of blue-black hair. Her arms tightened around Sasuke's shoulders as she recognized what she had seen in her dream. The Uchiha massacre in its full out terror in front of her very eyes. Itachi had slain everyone within an hour. One family was easily taken out within five minutes or even less. There was no mercy on absolutely anyone. Blood splattered everywhere, the streets, the stores, nothing was spared. And to see…the death of his own parents right in front of his eyes was something that Sasuke didn't need to see. It was all just so wrong.

Everything seemed so wrong to Sakura right now. She didn't know what to do. The ribbon, the encouragement, the thing that kept pushing her forward. She didn't know that it was Sasuke who had given it to her. She never thought it would've been him, the ice-cold and calculative boy back then was the one who gave her the support and push that she needed. He did care, he just didn't dare show it because he thought of it as a weakness. Itachi had taken advantage of those bonds and severed them, dearly injuring Sasuke in the process. Sakura finally understood why Sasuke left them in search of more power to take revenge.

Tears leaked from her eyes and down her face and then into Sasuke's shirt. Planting her face into her arm warmers, Sakura tried to prevent any tears from sliding into Sasuke's shirt as much as possible. Even if she tried to prevent her tears from falling, the hitching of her torso did little to assure Sasuke that everything was fine. He came to a stop and put her down when he felt her torso hitch and his shirt feeling slightly damp.

"Sakura? Is everything all right?" Sasuke worriedly asked.

Maybe she was just hallucinating, but an Uchiha sounding worried? "Y-Yeah. Just got a bad dream." Sakura unsteadily said as she looked towards the ground. It wasn't exactly fallacious; it was pretty much a nightmare, aside from the dream part. Was it Sasuke's memory or was it an actual nightmare?

"Sakura. Look at me. You haven't dared look at me ever since last night." Sasuke ordered.

"What're you talking about? I can't look at you right now, I can't even see you. Stupid tears are in the way." Sakura excused.

"Sakura." Sasuke said gently.

She stopped her mindless talk at the tone of his voice. Just how could she refuse? Slowly lifting her head up, she immediately regretted it. It was one of the biggest mistakes she'd ever made. The look in Sasuke's eyes scared her but it quickly flickered away, she didn't know what to make of it, but within the next second, everything became a blur. He kissed her on the lips, ever so soft, but it was enough to make Sakura surrender.

'_What repeats the behaviour of meeting with this knowledge[?]'~  


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Thanks for reading guys! Hope to see you guys next chapter too :) Review please~

_- Kanryu _out


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimers are getting so irritating ):

**Disclaimer**: Kishimoto-sensei owns Naruto! I only own the plot to Gentle Lie, and the GazettE owns the song and the lyrics posted at the bottom of this chapter and every chapter.

P.S. If you still haven't listened to the GazettE, you're missing out.

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**Chapter 10**** - _Gentle Lie_****  


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It started out so soft, so gentle, and fragile. As seconds passed, Sakura's conscience started wavering; she _wanted_ to be consumed by the heat from Sasuke and not care about anything else. Her hands flew up to his upper arms and stayed there, holding on tightly for support, her legs betraying her. Truthfully, she couldn't fall or leave even if she wanted to, Sasuke was holding on fast to her, his arms circling her torso and their bodies pressed together.

As their kiss deepened, the chemistry between was palpable. Sakura's hands moved from his arms to his hair, gently pulling at it as she moaned into the kiss. This was something that she'd never experienced before, this strong feeling of attraction and righteousness. It just felt so right, so sane, so normal and something that she wanted to do again and again. Sasuke's fingers were basically burning holes in her garments; she could feel them through the layers of her outfit, leaving her with less than appropriate thoughts.

He was so much like a drug. There was a mixture of feelings in this kiss: lust, warmth, loneliness, satisfaction and so much more. It was as if she could _taste_ everything Sasuke was feeling. An unbreakable bond that only the two of them shared and no one else could do anything to sever it. The two broke off their kiss as Sakura's back hit the trunk of a tree. Sakura blinked a few times before she quickly turned around and placed a hand on the trunk to steady herself as she tried to calm her heart. Without even having to look at the water or having anyone to tell her, she knew that her face was flushed. It was _burning_ her. And especially, she didn't want Sasuke seeing her like that.

Sasuke stood behind her, his face wasn't red like hers was, but he was having a difficult time breathing as well. Straightening himself after a few minutes, Sasuke looked at Sakura, still panting against the tree in her fragile frame. He silently walked up to her and laid a hand over Sakura's hand that was resting on the tree. Sakura's breath hitched and as soon as Sasuke heard that, he pulled Sakura into his back. His arms wrapped themselves around her midriff and trapped her arms there. Placing his head at the crook of her neck, Sasuke could hear her fast and erratic heartbeat at her pulse line. Pressing his lips to her neck, Sasuke sucked gently at it, leaving a satisfying red mark that marked her as his. _Only his_.

"S-Sasuke?" Sakura stammered.

"Hmmm?" Sasuke replied in his husky tone.

"Sorry a-about that."

"It's fine."

"C-can you l-let me go now?" she unsteadily said.

"…"

"Sakura." he breathed. She stiffened as she felt Sasuke's breath on her uncovered skin. God, he _loves_ the control he has over her.

"I regret going with Orochimaru. I regret not listening to you. I regret not taking you with me." Sasuke closed his eyes as he said this. "And the thing that I don't regret is taking you with me for this mission, for this will be the last time we'll ever speak to each other."

Sakura's heart stopped beating when she heard Sasuke's…confession? It was one of the things she'd ever wanted to hear from him. The thing she'd never wanted to hear was the farewell, the farewell that she'd never expected. She was happy, but why does everything he says always have a con to it? Tears started to well up in her eyes; this seems as vaguely familiar as before, when she was ever so powerless to stop him from leaving her.

"Why…?" she started.

"…"

"Why must every time I start to get close to you, you push me away?" Sakura screamed as she freed herself from Sasuke's grip.

"Hush, Sakura."

"No! I demand an explanation! Why, Sasuke, why?" She willed her tears not to fall as she released her anger and hurt on Sasuke. The kind words, the kind actions and the kiss? Nothing made sense.

"Because it's not safe to get close to me, Sakura. I bring nothing but trouble to everyone around me, don't you understand? The rain ninjas in Amegakure, they were most likely sent by Danzo to try to rid me from this world, and instead, you got caught up in the strife and were direly injured." Sasuke's emotionless mask showed on his face again.

"We're a team, Sasuke. In a team, we risk everything we have. Everything." she whispered.

"If you were with Kakashi, you wouldn't have been injured, Sakura."

Her breath caught. When Sasuke was kissing her, hugging her, she didn't think of anyone else but him. Not Kakashi, but him. Is she lying to herself when she still thinks she belongs to Kakashi?

"How does that matter? I came along with you, doesn't that count as anything?"

"It was because I forced you, you didn't come because of your own free will."

"If I didn't want to come, I could've easily told the Hokage to set up the barrier and everything to protect Konoha."

"Don't make this hard for me, Sakura."

"You're the one making it difficult, Sasuke! I'm willing to risk my life for you! Why can't you let me decide what I want to do with my life?" she screamed. Everything was so unfair. She felt so useless, just like eight years ago, when Sasuke first left the village.

"Don't you get it! You're…"

"I'm what." Sakura looked at him with slightly red eyes; her tears were threatening to escape.

"Itachi's going to kill everyone close to me. I don't want him to kill anymore innocents." Sasuke looked towards the sky as he paused, debating on whether to tell her. "That includes you as well."

Sakura looked at him, the tears breaking free from their prison. Dropping to the ground, Sakura put her face in her hands, the tears escaping between the cracks of her fingers. The thing she's always wanted to hear, always dreamt of, something she'd promise to never give up on hearing, finally came out of Sasuke. She felt alive again; she hadn't felt her heart beat so hard in such a long time, not from strenuous exercise, but from words of recognition.

Sasuke went up to her and kneeled in front of her. Pulling her into his arms, Sasuke gave a sigh, "You're too emotionally moved and a sloppy crier. But…" he put his head closer to Sakura's and whispered in her ear, "…I suppose that's what I like about you. Thank you, Sakura."

Then the next thing she knew, she was out cold. Just like last time, but this time, it was different, so very different. Because this time, she got a confession from the man she never thought would return her feelings. Even if it's just a little while, being able to stay with Sasuke and being able to love him is a luxury to Sakura. Even if it means she's not faithful to Kakashi, such a small lie won't be detected, will it?

**~-.-~**

Laying Sakura down gently beside the tree, Sasuke quickly produced a clone of himself to watch over her. Even if she isn't going to be participating in the final showdown, he still didn't trust the woods, even though his Sharingan couldn't detect anything yet. Satisfied that his clone held the least amount of chakra and it would hold if it sustained any terrible damage, Sasuke took a last fleeting look at Sakura and left her in the protection of his clone and the leaves of the trees.

He could still taste her from the feverish kiss from earlier. All the sounds she made, how their bodies seemed to fit so _perfectly_, he could remember everything. It wasn't the first kiss they shared, but it was the first kiss where Sakura was actually conscious. He confessed, only because he knew he wouldn't be able to live the fight with Itachi, most likely. Being able to live through a battle with Itachi seemed like a far-fetched dream now. Every time they would meet, Sasuke would end up cracking a bone or two, a concussion or three and so on. This battle would have his entire chakra source depleted and most likely all the bones in his body shattered. Erasing the negative thoughts, Sasuke tried to empty his mind, but to no avail.

The way the tears were clinging to her eyelashes was truly unforgettable. She looked so vulnerable, so fragile, and so…stunning. He's no sadist, don't get him wrong, but it really is rare for a lady to cry and still look anything close to beautiful. The way her fingers gently pulled at his hair when they were kissing made him realize that her touch burned him; they were light touches, but it felt so much more than that. As odd as it might sound, he wished that he had gotten past second base and gone to third base. At least he would be assured that he'd somehow have an heir to bear the name of the Uchiha and that Sakura would really be _his_ forever. But, this was the end of the end, both for him, Itachi, and Sakura's and his complicated relationship. (**A/N**: I want to make a facebook joke here, but…ninjas don't have facebook so he can't put his relationship status on there as: It's complicated. )

Masking his face with the usual emotionless façade once again, Sasuke set off to join the rest of his team, at the plateaus where Itachi and he will battle out the last one of the Uchiha.

**~-.-~**

Naruto burst through the doors of the Hokage office and immediately yelled, "'Baa-chan! What's going on? Pak-kun said that there might be an attack in Konoha any moment now!"

The rest of his team ran after him into the office helter-skelter. His pace was unimaginably fast for someone who didn't sleep for a night, who didn't take a proper rest and such.

"Glad to see you've made it safely back, Naruto. I was worried you guys might have been ambushed by members of the Akatsuki." Tsunade sighed.

"Well, Tsunade-sama, I think the Akatsuki didn't have enough time to really plan an ambush at the pace we were going. If I dare say, we were almost coming back at the speed of light." Kakashi lightly said.

"Rare to see you make a joke, Kakashi. You must've eaten something wrong. Anyway, the situation on hands as of now is very complex. Akatsuki has been sighted around the villages in Konohagakure, and every village they pass through are burned to the ground. A few of the villages close to Konoha have been destroyed and a few near the Konoha borders have also been wrecked as well. The pattern in the destruction of the villages is unclear, but in due time, Konoha will indeed be the target. However, Konoha will most likely be the last of things to be reduced to rubble, since they are Akatsuki, they'll most likely want to have some fun when they reach us. Which means, Naruto, they want to break through our defences and demolish everything and relish in their pride about how strong they are." Tsunade unhappily said.

"So what do you presume we do, Hokage-sama?" Kiba said. Akamaru barked in agreement to the question.

"Well, we should set our evacuation route into multiple ones, so that even if they do end up blocking one route, many others can still run and live. Also, strengthening our guard around the village is our priority as well. Shikamaru and Kakashi, I entrust you to come up with the best evacuation routes and how to escape if any of the Akatsuki do end up blocking the way. Shino and Kiba, I want you two to immediately check the vicinity to see if any intruders are prowling. Neji and Hinata, I want both of you at either one of the gates; cooperate with the guards already there and they will tell you what is going on. Naruto, stay here." she ordered.

"Hai, Hokage-sama!" All of them shouted in unison as they went off to fulfil their duties.

After everyone left, Naruto sort of knew what was going on, but kept quiet about it.

"Naruto, I'm sorry I had to drag you away from bringing back Itachi to the village."

He caught the message within the sentence. "It's fine, we only have one home, baa-chan, trying to bring Sasuke and Sakura-chan back can come later."

"Actually, I have some news for you from their…adventure right now. One of my ANBU caught them heading towards the plateaus, where Itachi was rumoured to be staying at after I sent you guys out. Sadly, Itachi caught him and killed him right after he sent the message out. The body's been taken care of, so there is no physical witness for you to speak with or see."

The body's been taken care of. That echoed in Naruto's mind when Tsunade said that. When an ANBU dies, the mark that they are tattooed with activates and disintegrates their body with their own chakra. Only a charred spot in the ground will indicate the place where he or she died. Basically, no one can find out their identity, the secrets of their ninja arts, or get any information out of their carcass once they're dead. This ensures top-notch protection for the village.

Naruto's knuckles turned white as he fisted his hand. "So that means, they're going to be fighting their final battle soon or maybe even now?" he gritted his teeth as he spoke.

Tsunade closed her eyes before she replied with an answer that Naruto already knew. "Yes."

He walked up to her desk and slammed his palms down on it. Cracks appeared from the impact of his hands. "If…If Sakura-chan dies during this mission, I _will_ kill him. If he dies, then I will burn his body, and throw his ashes to different oceans and rivers so he can never rest in peace and will continue to regret all the foolish things he's done." Naruto angrily said.

"Naruto. Sakura herself willingly went with Sasuke. He didn't force her or anything of the kind. True that he did threaten her, but she could've easily asked me to strengthen Konoha's defence. Sakura accepted the fact that there was a huge chance that she would die when she went off with Sasuke. If she knew what you were doing now, she wouldn't be happy about it."

"But—" Naruto started.

"No buts, here's what you're assigned to do. I want you to tell all the ninjas with your kage bunshin what we have just talked about. Tell them all to stay on guard and form groups consisting of four ninjas. It'd be best if each group has at least one medic. Go."

"Hai…"

**~-.-~**

"Itachi!" Sasuke yelled.

"Ah, foolish little brother, so you've arrived."

"By the end of this battle, I see you dead!"

"You? See _me_ dead?" Itachi scoffed. "Just words and no action?"

"I will make what I say become reality." Sasuke said as he activated his Sharingan.

"Let's see how strong you've become then…little brother, if at all."

**~-.-~**

"Hey, Karin." Suigetsu said.

"Yeah, what. Can't you see I'm trying to keep an eye on their battle?" Karin argued.

"That's exactly what I'm asking about slutface. Why aren't either of them moving?"

"It's a battle of genjutsu, Suigetsu. Their Sharingan are activated and nothing's happening between them, why do you think that is? If I were Sasuke, I would've lunged right at him if I didn't have the Sharingan. And how the hell can you not know? It's so obvious!"

"Well sorry I didn't get experimentally mutilated the way you did." he countered. This earned him a smack on the head, which caused it to deform into a puddle of water. After it was reformed, he muttered, "Well, isn't someone touchy…"

"I'm sorry everyone, but can you please be quiet? If any one of them talks, we won't be able to catch what he's saying." Juugo interfered.

"Juugo, I hate to break it to you, but how do you prospect that we even hear what they're saying when we're about oh I don't know…one kilometre away from where they are standing!" Karin yelled.

Suigetsu quickly covered Karin's mouth with his hand and pulled her down with him. "What the fuck do you think you're doing? Do you want Itachi to come over here and end our lives? I mean _you_ can go die but I still haven't fulfilled my lifelong goal yet!" he whispered in her ear.

Karin struggled in his arms and started kicking him. "Lsjdgajd ho tou adngjabdg jbjbch!" she mumbled.

Suigetsu relaxed his arms a little due to the force Karin was exerting on him. "What?"

Juugo helped Karin pull Suigetsu off of her and she punched him in the face immediately after. "I _said_, let me go you son of a bitch." She loudly whispered.

"Heh. You just dissed Orochimaru, slutface."

"No I did not! I insulted your Mom, not Orochimaru-sama." Karin retorted.

"Well technically, since Orochimaru experimented on me and everything that caused me to have this body of mine, he's like my 'Mother', so to speak."

"That's it, shark face. You're dead." Then the two started rolling around behind the rocks that they were hiding behind, landing blows on one another, where water spurted forth when Suigetsu was hit, and flecks of blood when Karin was hit.

Juugo didn't pay any attention to them; his attention was concentrated on the two Uchiha brothers, still standing motionlessly facing one another. Juugo wondered if the whole battle between the two was going to be only genjutsu. If so, this would be a very boring battle to watch, and a very strenuous battle of the minds. Whoever had the stronger genjutsu would undoubtedly win…however Sasuke isn't weak, from what he could see during their journey. The only weakness that Juugo could see about Sasuke is that he has a soft spot for Sakura, the other two knuckleheads haven't seen it yet, but he has. Every time that Sasuke looked at Sakura or spoke to her, there was a gentleness in him. It was a small difference, one that even an observant person would have trouble spotting, but he saw it.

All of a sudden, blades could be heard clashing and the brothers standing in front of him were no longer there. Both of them were airborne; Sasuke had a huge shuriken in his hands while Itachi had a kunai. Knowing that a kilometre's distance wouldn't be enough to save them from the famous Uchiha Itachi's tricks, Juugo quickly clambered down from behind the rocks and into the area where his teammates were socking it out.

"Karin, Suigetsu, it is not safe here anymore. We must leave" Juugo quickly said. The two paid him no heed and Juugo was forced into action. Putting on an act that his bipolarity had switched over, he pretended to be in Curse Mark mode.

"Who to kill first…the woman or the man…" Juugo lowly muttered.

The two immediately stopped fighting and focused all of their attention on him. Their eyes widened as they thought he was in berserk mode.

"Shit! Suigetsu get off of me! Juugo's gone into berserk mode again!" Karin shrieked.

"Oh man! Sasuke's off busy fighting Itachi! Oh wait what? He's physically fighting Itachi now!" Suigetsu realized.

"Good. Both of you have stopped fighting; we need to get out of here before Itachi uses Amaterasu." Juugo said.

The two stared at him for a second with their mouths agape before Suigetsu hit another conclusion.

"You tricked us! You made us think that you were in your Seal mode to make us stop fighting!" Suigetsu protested.

"Ugh. Whatever. Juugo's right, we need to leave right now. Amaterasu is dangerous, it's supposed to be hell's fire and it'll burn everything in its path. Even chakra flames can be overtaken by it." Karin knowledgeably said.

"Hey, since Sasuke's up there, where the hell is Sakura?"

"I can't sense her chakra around here anywhere. But I do sense a bit of it way back in the forest." Karin said as she sniffed the air.

"Yo, let's head back that way then." Suigetsu proposed.

"We can't do that, what if Sasuke-kun needs us?"

"From what we all know, minna-san, I doubt that we'll be able to help Sasuke-sama here in this fight at all. I believe that Amaterasu can only be deflected by other members of the Uchiha clan, which does not mean us." Juugo theoretically said.

"Mouu! Fine! We'll go and see why Sakura's there then! But if I sense any dangerous chakra levels, we're immediately heading back!" Karin finalized.

"Whatever. Come on, we need to go check up on Sakura. Besides, I doubt the battle between these two will be ending anytime soon. The hatred in Sasuke's been bundled up too long to make it a short battle." Suigetsu rolled his eyes and stalked off towards the forest.

"Karin, let's go." Juugo said.

She took one last look at the tension-filled battle and leapt after the two into the forest.

**~-.-~**

"Tsunade-sama, Shikamaru and I have worked out the plans for the evacuation routes you spoke of." Kakashi reported as he laid out the maps they drew.

"It was pretty troublesome to try to plan these out with only a moment's notice, but these should work. The villagers will be split into five groups, and they'll go off at different angles and directions, depending on where Akatsuki comes from. Luckily, since Konoha has many underground tunnels for events such as these, getting them out of the village will be no problem. However, if the tunnels were to cave in, there would be a problem with oxygen levels and people getting killed. Also, if people start screaming if such things happen, the location of where the evacuation routes are will be given away, which will put the whole plan in danger. Lastly, there are four formations that we can take. They will be labelled as A, B, C and D. If one fails, the others should work." Shikamaru lazily said.

"Accompanying each evacuation party will be one team of shinobi. Two will be in the front while the other two will be at the rear, ensuring that no one gets left behind. The other groups will be used to fight off Akatsuki, and after the civilians have been safely evacuated, two groups will stay to protect them while the rest come back to join the fight." Kakashi finished off.

"Hmm…that seems like a pretty solid plan. Alright, you have my permission to go ahead with it when Akatsuki appears." Tsunade pertly replied.

"No what ifs, Hokage-sama?" Shikamaru asked.

"There's no such thing, Shikamaru. There's either dead sure, or you're just stupid for not believing the outcome. For me, the majority of the time is dead sure."

"Are you saying this out of experience, Hokage-sama?" Shikamaru asked.

"You can say that. The both of you are dismissed."

Shikamaru left alone, glancing at Kakashi before he closed the door behind him. Kakashi stood there in front of Tsunade's desk, his hands in his pockets.

"What is it, Kakashi?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow as she asked.

"Tsunade-sama. When Sakura comes back and if I'm not alive, please give her this letter for me." As he said so, Kakashi held out a letter to Tsunade.

She looked at it, debating on whether to accept it or not. "Kakashi, such things should be given to her by yourself."

"I know, but I honestly don't know if I will survive or not. Last time I fought Hidan and Kakuzu, I almost died if Naruto had not come just in time with the others. Since Akatsuki travels in pairs, I'm assuming Naruto will be busy defeating one while I take care of the other with the rest. Naruto's strong enough; I'm not worried about that."

"Sakura will be very unhappy if she finds out about this. She doesn't intend for you to die at all, and you've been together with her for quite some time. Shoul–" Tsunade was interrupted by Kakashi.

"Hokage-sama. The time I spent with Sakura was very memorable for me. I don't intend to throw her away, if that's what you're saying. When I was with her, I knew from the start, that she took me as a substitute for Sasuke. She did love me, I know that, but there was always a part of her that yearned for his love. And what I'm sure of is that when she comes back to Konoha with Sasuke, she will want to be with him and not me anymore. Don't get me wrong, Tsunade-sama, I'm not planning to die just because I'm saddened. If I do end up managing to live, please burn that letter for me." he smiled as he told her.

"If…that is what you wish, then I suppose it will be terrible of me to refuse." she sighed.

"Arigatou gozaimasu."

**~-.-~**

Sakura's neck hurt as she started falling in and out of consciousness. She struggled to right herself when a hand put itself on her shoulder and tried to force her down. Eyes snapping open, she quickly swatted away the hand with her own. Her eyes went in and out of focus before she recognized the person standing before her.

"Sasuke-kun…" The old suffix she used for him from when they were younger slipped from her lips.

She didn't understand what was going on. The Sasuke standing before her had such little chakra in his system. Just before she fell unconscious, she could literally feel Sasuke _pulsing_ with chakra. Now it's so faint, ever so faint, as if he was about to pass out at any given moment. Trying to recall what happened before she passed out, she only remembered that he had just somewhat confessed to her. Then the next thing she knew, there was a sharp pain in her neck and then all was black. Speaking of which, there was a small pain in her neck still; raising her hand to her neck, Sakura soothed it with a bit of her chakra.

Turning around and facing 'Sasuke', Sakura ran towards him and pretended to ready herself for a hug when she punched him straight in the stomach instead with her chakra-filled fist. His shadow clone disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving Sakura alone in the forest with no one to tell her where any of them went.

'_Stupid me for letting my guard down. Now where am I supposed to go?' _

"Sakura! What're you doing here? Sasuke's fighting Itachi!" Suigetsu yelled after he appeared out of nowhere. Karin and Juugo soon followed suit, landing next to him.

Trying to save all of them the complicated technicalities, Sakura just simply said she accidentally twisted her foot when she was jumping and Sasuke didn't trust her by herself so he produced a clone to watch after her.

"But your foot seems fine, Sakura-san." Juugo said.

"Ha ha ha… yeah, I managed to fix it up with my chakra." Sakura awkwardly said.

"Are those tear tracks on your face? Were you crying?" Karin adamantly asked.

Sakura quickly sought for a way out of this question. "Well, yes and no. I mean, they are tear tracks, but I was sneezing a lot earlier, so I was involuntarily crying due to allergies. Enough about me, what about Sasuke? I thought you guys would be with him when he's fighting Itachi!" She hurried to scrub the tracks out of the way.

"Well…the thing is, it's awfully dangerous to be there right now. Itachi and Sasuke's finally started physically attacking each other. The genjutsu battle between the two of them were intense, you could taste and smell the tension in the air." Suigetsu protested.

"That doesn't mean you should leave your leader alone there! What if he needs your sudden assistance?" Sakura exclaimed.

"Karin said we would head back right away if the chakra levels started getting dangerous. How's the chakra levels?" Suigetsu nonchalantly asked.

"Their chakra levels are getting wonderfully — I mean _dangerously_ high, their attacks right now must be hazardous to one another. To be honest, if we go back now, we might get killed ourselves. Amaterasu will most likely be coming out soon." Karin worriedly said.

Sakura didn't even hear the rest of what Karin said. She didn't care. Sasuke's safety was most important; she couldn't let him die right now, not when he was so close to finishing his mission. He still has to revive the Uchiha clan! Not that that is very important as of the moment, but it was still another goal that Sasuke said he wanted to accomplish when he was younger. Leaving the team behind, Sakura dashed from tree to tree, her mind only getting to Sasuke in time, to be able to save him from eternal darkness. After fifteen minutes of a full sprint, Sakura stopped and stood on the rocks overlooking the battle, panting. Her eyes widened as she saw the scene in front of her.

'_That because I could see the loneliness inside of this feeling of embracing and being embraced I was able to forgive you'  


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Hey guys! Sorry if this chapter sucks ): It's building up to the climactic part...which will be...NEXT CHAPTER! Hope to see you guys all around next chapter! Reviews are much appreciated :)

- _Kanryu_ out


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer**: Naruto doesn't belong to me. the GazettE owns the song Gentle Lie but I own the plot for this story.

**In my story, there's only three Pain[s], including Nagato instead of the usual seven like in the manga.**

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**Chapter 11**** - _Gentle Lie_  
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"Tsunade-sama! The barrier's been broken through! Konoha's under attack by the Akatsuki!" A shinobi reported as he ran through the door to her office.

Tsunade stood abruptly from her chair, knocking it over. She slammed her hands down onto the table and the cracks on the table deepened more. "IMMEDIATELY GATHER ALL THE CIVILIANS AND TAKE THEM THROUGH THE EVACUATION ROUTES! THIS IS A LEVEL 2 WARNING!"

"Yes, Hokage-sama!"

The next moment, all of Konoha was shaking, cracks opened in the streets of the village and buildings were crashing down. Screams of agony could be heard from the streets and children could already be heard crying for their parents. Tsunade righted herself before she turned around and looked out the window. Half the civilians' part of the village was gone; small fires started from the debris of the leftover foundations of the structures and power lines were down everywhere. The air was thick with dust and the many that died within those first seconds brought on an atmosphere of panic to those that were still living.

She fisted her hands and turned to look at Shizune, who was standing right beside her. "Shizune! Call the ANBU and tell them to meet me at the top of this tower now!" Tsunade ordered.

"Y-Yes!" Shizune turned around and immediately left to do what she was told.

Tsunade only turned around to face the window, to see a figure loom before her. There wasn't enough time to protect herself, there wasn't even enough time to attack.

"Obaa-chan, get down!" A voice called out.

Naruto threw himself past Tsunade and through the window and onto the figure that was about to assault her. A shattering crash of glass could be heard and Naruto soon found himself airborne with a member of Akatsuki underneath him.

"Naruto!" Tsunade yelled after him as she looked over the window at him.

He turned around and flashed her a smile. "I got it covered, 'baa-chan! Go do what you gotta do!" Naruto quickly turned around to face his opponent again, just to dodge a blade headed his way. "Whoa! You fight dirty, dattebayo!"

Then the two disappeared into the clouds of smoke, obscuring Tsunade's view of them.

**~-.-~**

Shikamaru groaned as he sat up. The buildings that surrounded him had almost fallen on him, if not for Chouji who had blasted them out of the way with his hand using his partial enlargement jutsu.

"Shikamaru, you okay?" Chouji asked.

"I'll live." he crossly replied. He tried to stand up only to receive a pain up his leg. "Well, it seems like I have a broken leg here."

"Shikamaru!" Kakashi shouted.

"Kakashi-sensei, you look so old." Shikamaru joked. "There's all this white dust in your hair."

"Very funny. We're under attack by the Akatsuki from the South Gate. Formation A and B are out."

"Chouji. Are you part of the evacuation crew or are you part of the fighting crew?"

"They said they have enough for the evacuation groups, so I'm helping out with the fighting."

"Okay. I gotta go see Hokage-sama and tell her that Formation A and B are goners. Kakashi-sensei, please go alert the evacuation groups that we'll go with Formation C for now. Chouji, mind accompanying me to Hokage-sama's office? Sorry to be so dependent on you right now, a broken leg isn't what I had in mind." Shikamaru sighed. "This is so troublesome."

"It's okay, Shikamaru." Chouji said.

**~-.-~**

Black flames surrounded the boundary of the plateaus like the borders of an arena. They were quickly consuming the ground that they rested on, threatening to swallow up Sakura any moment. Above the multiple feet of black flames, two figures could be seen fighting each other head on. The resounding ring of metal against metal could be clearly heard by Sakura down below.

Sasuke looked tired but determined, and multiple cuts scarred his once flawless skin. He was shirtless, and with each blow, the muscles could be seen contracting, working hard to defend the heavy hits from landing on his body. Kusanagi was flashing as Sasuke relentlessly tried to land death blows on Itachi. Even with such a long sword, Sasuke couldn't even cause a nick on Itachi, even though he looked pretty beaten up and tired as well.

Itachi had shed his Akatsuki cloak, but Sakura thought that it might've been burnt off. It was amazing how he was able to block against Sasuke's forceful attacks with such a normal kunai. Then again, he was Uchiha Itachi, the one who had murdered the whole Uchiha clan. Sakura saw that Itachi's eyes were bleeding, and remembering what Kakashi has said before: extreme usage of the Mangekyou Sharingan can cause the user to become blind. Along with the bleeding, Itachi's eye was bloodshot; it seemed as if the multiple jutsu performed while using the Mangekyou were strenuous on the eyes.

Sakura could taste the tension in the air between the two. It was so thick that she almost choked on it as she watched. The atmosphere was hot and dry as well; Amaterasu was sucking out the humidity from the air, leaving Sakura parched for water and her bangs sticking to her forehead. The flames started eating away the rocks beneath her feet and Sakura didn't notice. Worried about Sasuke's safety and the outcome of the battle, she didn't realize that the fire was about to lick her skin until someone yanked her away.

"Are you stupid? Do you want to get burnt to a crisp and your bones charred to ashes?" Karin harshly said to her as she yanked her away from the black flames.

"Sorry, I guess I was too into the battle to really notice what was going on…" Sakura absentmindedly said as she continued to watch the battle, her eyes analyzing each of Itachi and Sasuke's movements.

"Hey, girl. _Listen to me_. Get yourself away from here now. Even though you're a bystander, I don't doubt that you might get killed somehow." Karin grabbed Sakura's shoulders and shook them, earning Karin some attention.

"Oh, hi, what?" Sakura finally tore her eyes away from the battle and gave Karin her full attention.

"Oh my God. Did you not hear a single fucking word that I just said? Amaterasu can kill you, especially when you're too busy to even realize that the flames almost fucking swallowed you!"

She gave Karin a kind look. "I heard. I knew that when I first joined you guys that something like this would happen, Karin." Sakura said as she gently pried her hands off of her shoulders.

"And you still decided to follow him?"

"Yes. If only you knew him back then, Karin, you'd see the changes that have taken place. He was so different back then compared to now. And I have a promise to uphold, I promised my best friend I wouldn't let him die." Sakura softly said as she started looking around for a tall tree.

"You'd die for him in order to save him, wouldn't you, Sakura." Karin stated, she didn't question it.

Sakura didn't answer and turned away from Karin. Finding a tree she was satisfied with, Sakura readied to jump until she was stopped by another tug on her arm.

"You know, I'd love to have a girl chat with you, but now isn't the time. Mind letting me go?" Sakura exasperatedly sighed.

"Both of you better live to tell the tale, Pinky." Karin said as she took a step back, prepared to head back into the forest to meet up with Suigetsu and Juugo. "I'll be tracking your chakra, and if I find out that you're dead, I won't let you rest in peace. Got it?"

Sakura looked at her for a moment as if she was crazy. "Okay, slutface. I'll be alive and kicking next time I see you. Happy? Now get outta here before I punch you back to them myself."

"If I could live without any broken bones, I'd gladly let you punch me." Then she was gone.

Sakura nimbly jumped up the tallest tree she could find that overlooked the fight between Sasuke and Itachi. While she was busy chatting with Karin, the two had returned to fighting on the grounds, surrounded by a ring of black fire. Sakura started to get worried; Sasuke's movements weren't as quick as they ought to be, perhaps carrying her was a bad idea after all. What was odd was that Itachi wasn't fighting how he usually fought either. He was fighting sluggishly, and from the looks of it, Itachi hadn't been severely injured, so the reason for his slowness was unknown.

With Itachi's back facing her way, Sakura took the advantage and jumped over the dancing black flames. One, she was an idiot for trying that. Two, she was an idiot for attempting that. Three, she was an idiot because she almost got herself killed. Sakura thought she was a goner when the flames seemed like they rose higher just to swallow her. It was as if luck helped her, because just at that moment, a gust of wind blew Amaterasu away from Sakura's feet, allowing Sakura to land without burns. However, just as she was about to contact the ground, several chunks of rock hit her back and knocked the wind out of her, causing her to fall forward and flat on her face.

'_I feel so smart. Just so smart. Oh, Kami-sama, why can't you provide me with luck two times in a row?'_ She thought as she violently coughed up blood. Not only did the chunks of rock knock the wind out of her, but they cut a bit of her back open. _'This is great, just great.'_

"I won't kill you just yet, foolish little brother, I still need your eyes, I'll burn your body all except for your head, so I can take your eyes for myself." Itachi maniacally said.

For once, Sakura was glad that Itachi's voice was close enough for her to hear. It meant that she wasn't very safe, but who gave a damn? Since he wasn't talking loudly, that meant Sasuke was nearby too. Even if her life was sacrificed, she had to get Sasuke out alive. There was no way Sasuke could win in his current situation. Itachi still looks like he has a bit of fight in him, but Sasuke just looks bedraggled. Kneeling, Sakura used a bit of her chakra to heal some of the internal injuries done by the flying rocks. A bit of her right lung had gotten a little scrape and her kidney just got a little nick in it. Nothing she couldn't handle. She healed herself just enough to live and to conserve her chakra for if Sasuke got direly injured.

Methodically looking in front of her, she saw that Sasuke was panting excessively. Itachi had his Mangekyou Sharingan fixated on Sasuke and Sakura could just make out from where she was that Itachi's eye started to bleed again.

'_Shit. Amaterasu. I have to get somewhere sa—'_ her thoughts were interrupted as Sasuke tripped over a rock, either from exhaustion or what, she didn't know.

The next thing she knew, black flames erupted out of nowhere and headed for Sasuke. Time seemed to slow down as Sakura pushed herself onto her feet and ran like she'd never ran before. She cursed herself for not having seen it earlier, for not yelling out a warning. Her voice seemed to have betrayed her, not issuing out a cry to the man who was about to be consumed by hell's fire. With each step, her brain was telling her to move faster. Pushing herself to the maximum limit, Sakura threw herself at Sasuke who was still in the process of falling and the momentum she brought with her narrowly brought Sasuke to safety.

Just when she thought they were safe, Sakura felt an intense burning on her right side. Looking at it, she saw black flames licking her arm and leg, threatening to devour her. Quickly grabbing Sasuke's arm, she flung him away from her as fast and far as she could, an echoing crash resulted from it, letting Sakura know that at least he was still alive. Finally landing on the ground herself, Sakura crawled into a fetal position as the flames ate her up. She couldn't do anything; the flames were so strong and severe that she couldn't even scream for help. Satisfied that at least she saved Sasuke one last time, she allowed herself to drift off in the scorching flames.

Just before she drifted off, Sakura thought she was hearing things, because Sasuke was screaming her name. _'He wouldn't waste his breath…I'm sorry Naruto, I guess I can't return to you like I promised…'_

**~-.-~**

Formation C was working perfectly. Since about half the population of Konoha already died, they didn't need to split into five groups as planned, but only three. This meant it would make escape much easier for the still living. When Shikamaru arrived at the Hokage's office, he saw that she was on top of the roof, in the middle of a huge formation trying to channel her chakra to still save the ones who might still be alive. Telling one of the ANBU that Formation C is taking place and is going perfectly fine, Shikamaru left with Chouji to find Naruto to make a battle plan.

Kakashi was in a precarious position; after he told the evacuation crew that Formation C was to be taken place, an Akatsuki landed not so far from them. Just like Naruto, Kakashi threw himself at the Akatsuki to knock it off balance and down onto the ground. Springing up right after the impact, Kakashi looked at his assaulter. Weird black tube-like canisters were sticking out from all over his body, and with his Sharingan, Kakashi could see that it somewhat vibrated, as if it was receiving a signal. His eyes had a weird pattern imprinted into them; there were swirls surrounding his pupils, and to be honest, all this made him look like one of those secret ANBU people who've underwent torture before. This must be the enemy that Jiraiya was talking about before he died.

"Kakashi!"

Said man slightly turned around as he kept an eye on the attacker while the other went to look at the person who had called out to him.

"Chouza, Chouji. Good timing, I was just about to try to ask for backup."

"What's the situation right now?"

"This guy here doesn't talk at all, and from the looks of it, his eyes are probably a sign of a kekkei genkai. I don't remember having seen anything like this before though. And the tubes within him are vibrating at a very high frequency, as if they are receiving signals from elsewhere or the sort. And from Jiraiya-sama's description of the enemy that he fought before he died, this guy fits perfectly. I'm assuming this is Pain." As if Pain decided that was the end to the introduction, he attacked the three head on.

**~-.-~**

"You're the one who killed Jiraiya-sensei, aren't you?" Naruto yelled at the Akatsuki standing before him.

He received no response; Pain only looked at him as if he was a speck on the planet. Within a moment's time, Naruto was hit with such a force that he went through three buildings, finally coming to a rest by hitting a boulder. Crawling to his knees, Naruto vomited blood; the impact of the hits included with the boulder really packed a punch. Standing up, he ran towards Pain, and attempted to punch him. They landed, but for some reason, Pain didn't bleed at all, not even when Naruto slashed a kunai over his skin. It was as if he was just a robot, not talking, just functioning and whatever else.

Producing five shadow clones, Naruto quickly told three of them to stay hidden behind the smoke. He held his hand out and the two remaining kage bunshin started on working and moulding out chakra into the palm of his hand to create Wind Shuriken Rasengan. Whilst the real Naruto was keeping Pain's attention on him, the three crept up behind Pain and started working on Wind Shuriken Rasengan as well. The high frequency of the chakra coming from Naruto's Wind Rasen Shuriken was loud enough so that he wouldn't realize that another Shuriken was being formed behind him.

Just as both groups of Naruto almost finished their Shuriken, Pain rushed up and punched real Naruto in the gut, causing him to lose his concentration on creating the star of destruction.

"Do you think, I'll let you destroy me? A weak and lowly ninjas such as you?" Pain whispered emotionlessly.

"Don't you be so cocky there." Naruto smirked as he swiped the blood away from his mouth.

The kage bunshin group of Naruto finished the Shuriken and slammed Pain with it. He literally exploded into bits and pieces of metal gears, screws, nails and hidden weaponry. Heaving a sigh of relief, Naruto just couldn't help but wonder if Pain was actually dead. And just how the hell can a robot talk just like a real person? Didn't make sense. Also, this was just too easy; Naruto wasn't hurt as he usually was but then again, when he finished his Sage training at Myobokuzan, Fukasaku was saying it was a pretty damn powerful attack that could easily take care of the enemy. Getting up, Naruto made to leave to search for the other Akatsuki that made up the pair before something stopped him.

The metal remnants of Pain pieced back together, much to Naruto's dismay and it was if nothing's happened to him, aside from the ripped Akatsuki cape.

"What…are you?" Naruto whispered in shock.

"I only wish to talk to you, Uzumaki Naruto."

**~-.-~**

Kakashi almost felt as if he got pounded repeatedly with chunks of ice. _Big_ chunks of ice at that. The explosion looked like as if it's come right out of Pain's mouth, if possible. Pieces of debris flew up all around Kakashi as if they were little ants being tossed around by an anteater's tongue. Landing heavily on the ground, he took a heavy blow to the head as Pain didn't waste any time on trying to kill him by kicking him in the head with what seemed like iron-tipped shoes. Jumping out of the way as a second kick headed his way, Kakashi felt faint and nauseous. A hand supported him as he faltered.

"Kakashi-sensei, are you all right?" Chouji asked, it looked as if he was trying hard to hold back his tears.

"Yeah…what happened to Chouza?"

Chouji looked away as his father's name was mentioned. "When the explosion occurred, dad was trying to protect me and…he took a few severe blows to the head. He's lost so much blood…"

"Chouji, I want you to go tell Tsunade-sama what's going on. Remember what I told you guys earlier? Tell her the exact same things I've said. Also, tell them that Pain's not physically alive, they're basically robots. I believe that they are all controlled by one main person elsewhere. I detected that the black tubes inserted into their bodies are receiving chakra. You guys must find a way to defeat them. Go, Chouji!"

"But Kakashi-sensei, what about you?" Chouji took a few steps back and looked at him.

"Don't worry about me, Chouji. I'm going to try to take this one down until we find a way to defeat him." Kakashi felt lightheaded now as he prepared his Chidori.

"O-Okay!" Then he took off towards the Hokage office, away from the fight.

"Hurry, Chouji! Or else the village will be really done for good."

Turning around, Kakashi saw that Pain was running right at him. He quickly slammed his Chidori into his head and right down the middle, splitting the body in two. Mechanical parts flew everywhere, bouncing off the debris and scattering into many different places. Quickly making hand signs for a water jutsu, Kakashi splashed the area around him with water, drenching every last thing. Then preparing his Chidori once again, he thrust his hand with it into the ground, electrocuting everything wet, aside from him, making the mechanical parts too burnt out and malformed to be able to reform back into its original shape. Panting, he fell onto his back, tuckered out from the battle and the feeling of guilt for allowing so many villagers to die.

'_I'll…just sleep for now.'_ Kakashi thought as he succumbed to darkness.

'_The fingers, laying on top of one another, seems like they're gonna be taken away. I long for the answer, even though I know how foolish it is'~  


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Please review! I love you guys all, readers, reviewers, everyone who likes/loves my story. I really do. That's why I want your feedback on how you feel about this chapter and my writing (:

_- Kanryu _out_  
_


	12. Chapter 12

This chapter is probably my least favourite one, because **I used one chapter of Masashi Kishimoto's Naruto manga to help me**. **In this chapter, I will notify you which parts of it is his, and which parts of it is mine. The bolded parts will be his, and it will only be one section of this chapter where that happens. So please do NOT think that I wrote the bolded parts, because...I just basically took it right out of the manga. **I honestly couldn't think of a reason why Pain attacked the village. 'Cause if I decided to add another plot line of revenge, this story would have roughly around 30 chapters. And it wouldn't really be SasuSaku anymore.

And regretfully, this story will be coming to an end. The story will be finished in 3 chapters. And yes, a lemon is planned to be in the last to second last chapter. It's proving to be uh...quite a bit difficult for me to write a lemon, because I feel embarrassed writing them, but I will do my best for you guys, of course.

**Disclaimer**: If I wrote Naruto, I wouldn't be writing fanfics. If I owned the song Gentle Lie by the GazettE, I'd be in the hospital right now having a hyperventilation issue. I only own the plot of this story!

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**Chapter 12**** - _Gentle Lie_  
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Karin paused in her step when she felt Sakura's chakra completely disappear. Frozen at the thought of her chakra disappearing for good, she spun on her heels to face the direction where she had come from. Expanding her field of detection with her chakra, Karin focused on trying to find Sakura's chakra amidst the confusing mess of the Uchiha brothers' battle. Suigetsu and Juugo stopped as well, when they sensed that Karin had come to a halt.

"Yo, Karin, what's up with you?" Suigetsu called out to her.

She didn't answer, but she cocked her head to one side, trying to find a way to just somehow miraculously feel Sakura's chakra again…that which was a wish. Karin knew her own abilities well enough to know that they wouldn't fail her. However, even though she could not sense anymore of Sakura's chakra, she felt a menacing one emitting from Sasuke. It was dark, livid, murderous and _smothering_. Even without the aid of her chakra-enhanced special abilities, the air around them was heavy with Sasuke's aura.

"Sakura's chakra's gone." Karin whispered.

"What was that?" Suigetsu chided.

"I SAID SAKURA'S CHAKRA IS GONE!" Karin screamed at Suigetsu as she panicked.

"Calm down, girl. Maybe she's just passed out or some—"

"IF SHE'S JUST PASSED OUT, THEN I SHOULD STILL BE ABLE TO FEEL HER CHAKRA! BUT I CAN'T! THIS MEANS SHE'S DEAD, YOU DUMBFUCK!" Karin continued screaming at him as Suigetsu backed away from her.

"Yo, Juugo. This isn't looking so great. You can feel it, too, right?" Suigetsu looked past Karin and towards the direction of the plateaus.

"Yeah…this isn't going so well." Juugo distantly replied.

"We have to get back. Now." Karin stubbornly said. She had calmed down slightly from her panic attack from earlier.

"I thought you told us like ten minutes ago that we should stay away from the plateaus as much as possible, didn't you?" Suigetsu mused.

"Suigetsu, I think she means we ought to check things out, since Sakura's chakra has disappeared." Juugo explained.

"Sasuke's chakra is overwhelming right now. If we don't do anything to stop him, his chakra might eat him up, to say it simply. Well, he would literally die if he tried to use any nonexistent chakra." Karin clarified to her two teammates.

"We're not dumb, Karin." Suigetsu drawled, which earned a punch from her.

"Fuck you. We're wasting time. Let's go."

**~-.-~**

Sasuke replayed the whole thing over and over in his mind. How he stumbled, and Sakura came out of nowhere and knocked him out of the way and ended up taking Amaterasu head on. That spot of black fire on the floor specified where Sakura was. The flames completely swallowed her up; not even a speck of pink could be seen amidst Amaterasu. Worst of all, her chakra was entirely gone; Sasuke couldn't feel it, and the thing was, he didn't even know that he was screaming her name.

"SAKURA! SAKURA!" Sasuke yelled, his eyes wide.

"Foolish little brother, you're dealing with useless bonds again. To be the most powerful, you need to severe all your bonds so you can concentrate on defeating me. But as I can see right now, you are just a sickening passionate boy." Itachi spitefully said.

Sasuke was flung against the wall as Itachi ran straight up to him, and grabbed him by the nape of his neck. Choking, Sasuke glared at Itachi with his obsidian eyes, with the utmost hate and anger he could muster.

"Do you still see me dead, Sasuke?" Itachi whispered.

"I will keep seeing that as long as I'm _alive_." he seethed.

"Then I suppose…I'll have to reverse that asinine thought now, don't I…Sasuke."

Within the next few seconds, everything became a blur. Itachi's chest was bleeding as Sasuke thrust his Kusanagi into him. The hold on Sasuke's neck was released and he fell heavily to the ground, clutching his neck and gasping in huge gulps of air for dear life. Itachi staggered a few steps back, with Kusanagi stuck right to the left of the middle of his chest. Just right where the heart was.

"Ah…I got careless, didn't I?"

"Sure did—you bastard—" Sasuke wheezed.

"Not bad…Sasuke…not bad…you…nicked my heart…enough to…let me die…from blood loss…" Itachi slowly breathed out. "But…you're still…not strong…enough."

Itachi lifted his hand ever so slowly and directed his fingers at Sasuke, and something shot out of it, right into Sasuke's forehead. Sasuke suddenly felt faint, as if he had a sudden blood rush from low blood pressure.

"This will be…my last gift to you…Sasuke, my dear brother." Itachi whispered before he passed out into eternal darkness.

Sasuke only responded by fainting, right beside Itachi's body.

**~-.-~**

Karin, Suigetsu and Juugo flew past the trees, headed towards the direction of the plateaus. The battle seemed to have ceased, for the chakra levels have diminished greatly. The air around them was still thick with electricity: must be from the lingering effects of Sasuke's Chidori and the static in the air from Amaterasu.

Upon reaching the plateaus, all three of them noticed one thing. Amaterasu was still burning, but there was one spot where it was burning especially high. It was just a small spot on the ground, it didn't seem anything special.

"Suigetsu, do you think your water jutsu could extinguish all the flames of Amaterasu?" Karin pushed up her glasses as she questioned her teammate.

"Actually Karin, I don't really know. They classified Amaterasu as hell's fire, no? If a simple water jutsu could bring down the flames, then…hell's fire is really nothing, don't you think?"

"Just shut up and try."

"Okay, but I highly doubt it'll work." Suigetsu sighed.

Forming hand signs for a water jutsu, a huge wave of water crashed down onto the black flames, diminishing the flames to a slightly lower level, allowing the three of them to see past them.

"That's Sasuke!" Karin gasped.

"No duh, who the hell did you expect to see?"

"Where's Sakura-san?" Juugo worriedly asked.

"Suigetsu, do another one, I think it's actually working." Karin ordered.

"Ugh. I never wanted to be ordered around by this slut."

Karin ignored the comment and watched as Suigetsu brought on another tsunami of water over the charred earth. Sasuke and Itachi's figure could be clearly seen now, since the flames have been extinguished. A spot of bright pink could also be seen amongst the drenched and black ground. Running towards Sasuke, Karin quickly kneeled down on the wet ground and put her head to his chest, listening for a heartbeat. It was faint, but it was there. While she performed first aid on him, she looked around and saw that Juugo was tending to Sakura while Suigetsu was beside Itachi.

Juugo attempted to find Sakura's pulse on her wrist, and he was surprised when it was still there. It was steadily beating, just like how it would be when she was asleep or simply just resting. Shaking her a few times on the shoulders, Juugo couldn't seem to wake her up. Frowning, he lightly slapped Sakura across the cheeks a few times, until he elicited a groan from her. Sighing in relief, Juugo leaned back to give her some room to breathe.

Sakura was woozy when she got slapped a few times. She was having such a nice sleep. It was…dreamless and black and…Sasuke? Sasuke! Getting up extremely fast, Sakura's head started spinning from the sudden blood rush to her head. Stumbling, she started to fall back until Juugo caught her.

"Oh, thank you." Sakura incoherently mumbled.

Taking a good look around, Sakura saw Karin tending to Sasuke while Suigetsu was just…being Suigetsu. He was just simply looking down at Itachi's body, which had no traces of chakra left. Rushing to Karin, Sakura dropped to her knees and shoved Karin's hands away, earning a "Hey!" from her. Sakura's fingers trailed all over Sasuke's body, checking for any serious wounds. The most serious ones it seemed were the burns on his hands, that and his head was basically streaming out blood.

"Karin. Patch up his hands." Sakura firmly ordered. She was tired…oh so tired…

Hovering her hands filled with her own chakra over Sasuke's head wound, Sakura tried to stitch the cells together, to close up the wound. To her horror, it seemed as if he had a tiny fracture in his skull. Great. More to her medical treatment stress and the more difficult it would be for her to fix him up in a jiffy. This would've been an easy task for her usually, if she was her rejuvenated self, but as she worked, darkness was clouding her vision. She felt something trickling down her forehead and into her eyes, smearing the image of the wounded Sasuke in front of her. Sakura disregarded it; saving Sasuke was the most important part right now. If she didn't get the fracture healed in time and the blood flowing regularly, there might be a blood clot. This would make things more complicated than they already were.

"Sakura, you're bleeding." Karin stated.

"Yeah." Sakura absentmindedly answered. She wasn't paying attention to anything, her health didn't matter.

The fracture was completely healed and Sakura was satisfied that Sasuke wouldn't suddenly fall into a coma or anything. The blood was circulating well once again, and there were no signs of a blood clot adhering to anything in his brain. She felt faint, oh so faint. Why was she feeling like this?

"Sakura…" Sasuke breathed out, his eyes slowly opening.

"I'm right here, Sasuke." She held his hand to her chest, to let him feel her heartbeat that signified she was living and wasn't a corpse.

"Did I…kill him…Itachi?"

Sakura looked at Suigetsu, and he nodded in response.

"Yes, Sasuke. You did." Sakura smiled at him, even though she could feel herself slipping away.

Sasuke closed his eyes with a small smile, one that only Sakura could see. Then he fell asleep, with his hand in Sakura's. Then was the time when she actually realized what Karin had said earlier. She was bleeding, a lot. More than she ever expected. Blood dripped from a cut in her forehead, and her back was sticky with her own blood. Sakura didn't have anymore chakra; healing Sasuke took all that she had left in her. Amaterasu took quite a bit out of her too.

'_Oh yeah…how did I manage to get out of that mess…'_ Sakura wondered before she let herself succumb to darkness.

**~-.-~**

They made small noises in the woods as Pain led Naruto towards the hideout where the 'leader' was residing in. Bushes brushed past their legs and feet, their footsteps muffled by the soft green grass. The wind was calm; the air was still with a feeling of tension, it was as if the animals and the insects in the woods were choked by the strain at Konoha. Naruto didn't know what to think. The silence was deafening to his ears, and he could barely breathe. The destruction of Konoha was certainly a big blow to him, but a city could always be rebuilt. He was worried about the villagers.

Pain arrived at an old building, one that would probably break if it suffered a huge impact. Pushing open the door, Pain went in, leaving Naruto outside. The darkness awaiting him was a cold invitation, but Naruto took it nonetheless. Entering, the door was shut by someone, engulfing Naruto in darkness; nothing could be seen, which made him rely on his sense of smell and hearing. The air was damp and cool, but it had a few signs of life; the scuttling of insects could be heard in the corners of the shack and the creaking of floorboards as well. What unsettled him the most, was the sinister chakra coming from the back of the room.

"My name is Nagato. You are Uzumaki Naruto, I presume." A voice called out to him, spooking him slightly.

Naruto walked into the direction of the voice, which was the back of the room. Upon arriving there, a small light was lit, just barely lighting up the mossy interior. Seeing the assailant of Konoha and its civilians, Naruto just couldn't take it anymore.

"WHY, WHY DID YOU DO THIS? DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY INNOCENT LIVES YOU'VE TAKEN?" Naruto screamed at Nagato.

"With shinobi around, there will only be more hatred and deaths. If I wipe out each shinobi village, then the cycle of hate and violence will end." Nagato simply replied.

"Because of what you've done, there will only be more hate and anger, even ones of those that are not shinobi, and just simple civilians. That's why revolutions and riots occur!"

"I'll tell you a story, and you give me an answer, understand?" Naruto slowly nodded in response as he tried to calm himself.

(**A/N**: Bolded parts here means it's from Kishimoto-sensei's Naruto manga)

"When I was younger, around 10 years old, I was living in the Rain country with my parents. **One night, when Konoha ninjas came into our house, my parents thought they were intruders who wanted to kill our family, so they attacked them. This resulted in my father being killed. My father told my mother to run away with me before he was murdered. She didn't listen to him and tried to attack the ninjas that had taken the life of my father. She died just like him.**"

Naruto said nothing and continued to look at Nagato.

"**When the Konoha ninjas finally realized that they had killed civilians, they gave me an apology. I only received an apology for the death of my parents. Where was the justice behind all this? I got increasingly angry, and that was the first time when my Rinnegan activated. I passed out as the two Konoha ninjas fell onto the floor, dead. When I awoke, I grasped the fact that it was me who had killed them. I became afraid of my own power. I ran away from home with a few food rations, but I soon ran out and passed out on the street**."

Konan closed her eyes as Nagato continued, blood dripping out of his mouth.

"**Konan found me in the streets, and gave me a piece of bread. At that time, a dog became my friend, and I shared half of the bread that Konan had given me with him. She then led me to the hideout where she and Yahiko were staying at. At first, Yahiko was angry at Konan for bringing another person with a dog along with her, because the food rations were very hard to get during times of war. But as time passed, the three of us developed a close bond. Yahiko would steal from the stands while Konan and I distracted the shop keepers from the location of where Yahiko was stealing the food from.**" Nagato paused as he coughed up a fair amount of blood.

"**One day, as we were walking along, explosives were set off, and our dog was killed. I call that my second experience with pain, my parents' death was my first one. I clung onto him, hoping he would wake up. Yahiko tugged me along, telling me that he had died. I didn't want to believe it. Yahiko said that when he becomes the ruler of the world, he'd make sure that no one would die innocently. We reached a ledge and saw Konoha ninjas. Once again, I was filled with rage. I hated Konoha for what they did to my parents and my companion. It changed when Jiraiya stayed behind to teach Yahiko, Konan and I**."

Naruto's expression fell as Jiraiya was mentioned. Nagato took notice of this and went on with his story.

"**Jiraiya taught me to control the power that I couldn't control before**. Yahiko and Konan also learned how to do things with their chakra and how to control it as well. Yahiko grew up to be a noble man as Konan changed to be a prettier woman. Jiraiya then left after all three of us grew to be independent. **Then Yahiko, Konan and I made a group that was against the rulers of Rain Country for stupidly involving the country in wars and such. The rulers came to fear our power, and decided to make a pact with the group. Yahiko did indeed make a pact with them, but we fell into their trap. Konan was captured by the filthy men and said they'll give her back if I kill Yahiko**." Nagato closed his eyes, temporary halting his story.

"Yahiko **speared himself on my kunai, in hopes of being able to get back Konan**. I was furious when Yahiko fell onto the ground, his blood pooling around my feet, his body lifeless. **As soon as Yahiko fell, the rulers ordered the death sentence of Konan and I; the soiled traitors only wanted to make sure our leader died so that our group will not continue on. That was my third pain**. I killed them all. Konan was safe, but Yahiko was not, he was dead. As you probably have seen, the first Pain that intruded Konoha is the body of Yahiko."

(**A/N**: This ends the referential part! Here on out is still my story!)

"Do you think you have a better way of stopping this cycle of hatred and anger, Uzumaki Naruto, after hearing the story of senseless killings throughout my life?"

"Ero-sennin believed that there is a way to stop hatred and pointless killing; he believed that I can find the answer that he couldn't." Naruto steadily said.

Nagato perked interest at Naruto's words. "Jiraiya said that you'll be the one who is able to find the answer that he could not find?"

"Yes."

**~-.-~**

"Juugo, do you think she's in a condition to bite me?" Karin asked as they hurried to disinfect and bandage up Sakura's wounds.

"I highly doubt that, Karin. She is unconscious after all. Unless she has some sort of sudden rage, it'd be hard for her to bite something out of the blue." Juugo replied as he tried to stem the blood flow from Sakura's head wound. "And do you think Sakura-san would really want to have her injuries dealt away with so quickly? After knowing her for all this time, she would take her injuries and her problems head on. She's a very strong woman."

"Strong woman no doubt." Karin muttered.

"Hey Sasukeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee." Suigetsu sang out. "You alive or what man."

"Suigetsu, get the fuck away from him. Patients need room to breathe; no one wants to breathe in your disgustingly foul breath."

"No one asked you, slutface. Isn't it the same with you and Sakura? With you huddling so close to her, she's bound to get poisoned from you." Suigetsu retorted.

"Unlike you, I'm trying to do first aid on her, not trying to scare her. It's fine now, Juugo. Her breathing's stabilized and only her back wounds are left, I'll take care of those myself. Go take care of Sasuke." Karin ordered.

Moving Sakura behind a rock to provide her some privacy, Karin quickly shed Sakura's beaten up clothes. The rocks that scoured her back really made it a mess. Tiny bits of them were still stuck in her back, and dirt was present as well. Cursing inwardly, Karin used her chakra to make quick work of the rocks and pelted them at Suigetsu's head. Swabbing it down with antiseptics she found in Sakura's small pouch, she started bandaging up the wounds. Karin didn't even know where to start; Sakura's whole back was basically shredded up from the impact of the rocks and what surprised her the most was that Sakura didn't receive any burns at all. Even though she was engulfed in Amaterasu, there were no signs of peeling flesh. Frustrated, Karin just mummified Sakura's wounds. She didn't know where to start, so it basically meant she didn't know how to end it either. Mummifying her wounds at least means there wouldn't be a chance of infection.

When she redressed her, Karin saw something fall from Sakura's clothes. Looking closely at it, it was a letter addressed to Sakura. Karin's never seen this type of writing; none of Team Hebi's members wrote like this. There was also a weird seal on the back, a fresh seal.

"Juugo."

"Yes, Karin?"

"Come take a look at this."

"What is it?"

"It's a letter addressed to Sakura and the seal on the back is fairly new."

"You mean the chakra's still there?"

"Yeah, I think Itachi gave this to her."

"Why do you say that?"

"It's his chakra that I'm feeling here."

"Hmmm…" Juugo pondered as he thought about the possibilities.

"Take care of this for now. You seem closer to Sakura, so give this to her at the right time, okay?" Karin decided.

"Okay."

"What're you guys snitching to each other about?" Suigetsu butted in.

"We're just talking about Sasuke-kun's condition."

"Sasuke's fine. He's asleep at the moment."

"We need to get to an inn as soon as possible. There's no way crude first aid methods like ours can keep their wounds clean and uninfected for long." Karin sighed as she shook her head.

"Sasuke heals fast, though. Wouldn't it be a waste?" Suigetsu interjected. "And don't you think Sakura looks nicer covered in blood? Red really does suit her…"

"We don't really care about your blood lust right now. Actually, we do. Get rid of those thoughts." Karin briskly said. "We have to get them somewhere safe. Carry Itachi's body, Suigetsu."

"Why me? I'll carry Sakura's."

"Juugo can take care of both Sasuke's and Sakura's. We don't have time. Their conditions can get worse any minute!"

"So where do you propose we bring them, smart ass."

"Amegakure's the closest to us right now."

"That'll take us a day to get there!" Suigetsu protested.

"Then what else do you think we should do? There's no other way! Besides, Juugo can run the fastest here. It'll take us only half a day to get back with his speed."

"That's only when he's in his bipolar form, wanting to kill everyone and everything." Suigetsu shot back at Karin for her oh-so-_ingenious_-idea.

"Actually, Suigetsu, I can handle my Cursed Seal form rather well now. Sakura-san has helped me out a lot already." Juugo countered.

"Ignore him. Just ignore him. Let's get going, Juugo. Time's being wasted trying to explain things to this guy." Karin muttered.

Hoisting Sasuke and Sakura up onto Juugo's back, he transformed into Cursed Seal Level 2, which allowed him to form a small cage preventing the two from falling off when he started running. Grabbing the nape of Itachi's outfit, Karin easily slung him over her shoulder and prepared to start running as well.

"Hey, what? I thought I was supposed to carry him." Suigetsu protested.

"With you carrying a sword and wanting a break every few minutes, they'll be dead before you even get the body there. Let's go, Juugo."

Juugo and Karin took off, with literal heavy weights on their backs. Suigetsu stared at their retreating backs, before he decided to take action.

"Well, guess I'll do things my way, then." He said before he transformed into a puddle of water, gliding quickly through the woods and after his teammates.

**~-.-~**

"So you truly believe that you can find the answer that Jiraiya has been looking for his whole life?" Nagato pressed on.

"He left the task to me, and he dedicated this book to me, with my own character that's named after me." Naruto reached in his outfit to bring out a small book. The title was smudged over, but Nagato could read the words 'Gutsy Ninja'. Nagato closed his eyes as he remembered how Jiraiya also wrote a book dedicated to him, and left it for him as he returned to Konoha.

"Very well, Uzumaki Naruto. I will grant you one wish. However, choose wisely." Nagato said as he started to pant excessively.

"Nagato…" Konan started.

"It's fine, Konan."

"What do you mean by a wish?" Naruto carefully asked.

"There's two choices. My lifespan is greatly decreased from too much use of the Rinnegan. But because of my Rinnegan, I can revive the dead, however ethereal it might sound. I only have chakra enough to revive either all the shinobi who have died or the civilians. Which one do you want?" Nagato challenged.

Naruto paused, his brow furrowing at the thought of having to choose between who gets to live and who has to die. "If you need chakra, then take mine, I have plenty." Naruto shot back.

"Your chakra supply is indeed plenty enough. Will you do the transfer now?" Nagato breathed heavier with each word.

"It's fine, as long as… Jiraiya-sensei gets to come back."

"It is too late—to do so…only the people I've killed—in Konoha are able to be revived by me—the time—hasn't been long—since they've been killed. Sensei will have to—stay in the underworld." Nagato breathed.

"A-Alright."

'_The overflowing sorrow[;] [melting] sorrow'

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So guys, here is another chapter. Reviews are **very much** appreciated. See you guys soon! (:

- _Kanryu_ out


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters or the lyrics at the bottom of every chapter, but I do own the plot. :)

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**Chapter 13**** - _Gentle Lie_  
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Her eyes fluttered open to meet an expanse of whiteness. Tiredly looking around, her eyes saw a curtained window and a shadowy silhouette propped up on the wall beside it. A hushed altercation reached her ears, and the voices that were involved brought her a little comfort. She wasn't in enemy territory and she wasn't dead…was she? Twisting her head to the side, Sakura gave an almost inaudible gasp, at the pain that shot down her neck. Heaven doesn't have pain like this. She's still alive? Even after getting swallowed up by Amaterasu? Oh yeah, something happened. Woops.

"Sakura-san." Juugo worriedly said as he got off the wall. "Are you feeling all right?"

"I feel nauseous."

"Here." Juugo knowingly held out a basin in front of her.

Sakura looked at Juugo for a second, before she politely pushed it away and decided to get off the bed. She didn't want to puke in a basin when there was a bathroom right in front of her. As her left foot touched the ground, a jolt of pain went up her leg, making her get back onto the bed.

"Sakura-san. It's best if you don't move for now. You have a badly sprained foot."

"It's fine, Juugo." Sakura muttered as she put her hand to her head.

God, this was killing her. This was even worse than fighting Sasori and going through Tsunade's hellish training. Looking up, she saw Sasuke on his bed underneath what seemed like a million blankets. She forgot all about her sprained foot and placed both feet on the ground to try to get to his bed to see what condition he was in. This resulted in her falling onto the carpet heavily, eliciting a sharp cry of pain from her. Oh yeah, the nausea's still there.

Waving her arms wildly, Juugo came to her to try to help her up. Motioning towards the bucket, Juugo placed it in front of her and held onto it as she emptied her guts into it. There was nothing in her stomach, aside from the gastric juices and whatnot. But still, she felt much better after puking out what seemed like half her internal organs. Rinsing out her mouth, she uttered a small thanks to Juugo and pulled herself up to sit on Sasuke's bed; her sprained foot comfortably resting on a pillow she had dragged down with her from her fall earlier.

'_Sasuke looks sickly…'_ Sakura worriedly thought as she looked at Sasuke.

His forehead was covered in swathes of bandages and Sakura saw that his cheeks were slightly flushed. Resting her hand lightly on his forehead, she felt that he was burning hot.

"Juugo." Sakura whispered. She didn't want to wake Sasuke up, even though the chance of him hearing right now is close to zero; he's delirious.

"Yes, Sakura-san?"

"Sasuke has a fever right now. I'm sure since the time we've gotten here that a medic's looked at both of us? Was he already sick with fever?"

"No…this is something new. The medic said everything was fine after she popped back his dislocated shoulder. Do you think that might have caused his fever?"

"I highly doubt it. Did she happen to give him anything? Like an injection of some sort?" she continued.

"Speaking of which…yes, yes she did. She claimed that it was to help with Sasuke-sama's flexibility of muscles or something after the relocation."

Quickly roaming over Sasuke's body with her chakra-filled hands, Sakura detected that whatever the medic injected into him was harmless. However, Sasuke's body was rejecting it; it didn't want it circulating through his body. Sighing, she turned her head towards Juugo and asked him for towels, ice, a syringe and a small basin of water. The injected fluid was staying around a certain spot in Sasuke's arm, so it wasn't going to be as difficult to extract as she first thought.

**~-.-~**

After Sasuke's fever had gone down a bit and she had successfully healed the majority of her sprained foot, she prepared to sleep again. Having healed Sasuke before her own injuries wasn't doing her any good. Even a medic ninja had limits. She started dozing off until a major racket outside the room startled her.

"I said you're not allowed in this room until Sasuke-kun is all better!" A voice screeched.

"That can be days! Am I not even allowed to sit in a chair?" An angry male voice retorted.

"You can go downstairs and into the lounge! There are plenty of _armchairs_ and _comfy_ chairs there than all these wooden chairs here!"

"Excuse me, Sakura-san. I'll take care of this." Juugo offered as he went towards the door.

Several 'eeps' and 'shits' later, everything in the hall was quiet and peaceful. Juugo re-entered the door looking like nothing had happened. Walking to sit in the chair beside her bed, Juugo looked at her.

"Yes?" Sakura timidly spoke out.

"Sakura-san. When we were bandaging up your wounds at the plateaus, we found a letter in your clothes. It's addressed to you." Juugo said as he handed her a letter. "Karin sensed it was Itachi's chakra that sealed up the note.

"Oh, I see…Thank you."

"I'll go buy some medicine to keep Sasuke's fever down. If you need anything, Karin and Suigetsu are downstairs in the lounge."

"Oh, okay. I'll be sure to go give them a visit if anything comes out." Sakura distractedly said as she turned the letter back and forth in her hands.

Juugo closed the door behind him as he left, giving Sakura some privacy to herself to read the letter. She didn't know if she wanted to open it. She never had any interactions with Itachi before…she barely even spoke to him if at all. But why was the letter addressed to her instead of Sasuke? There were no connections at all, none of this even made sense! What if…there was a trap in the seal? Just a last chance thing to kill off Sasuke for good and totally annihilate the whole Uchiha clan once and for all and her as well. That makes two clans gone for good in a total of…10 seconds? Ugh. Her friends and family always told her she was paranoid. Clasping her hands together, she performed the release jutsu for the seal on the note.

"Kai!" Sakura said quietly.

Unfolding the letter, she started to read the contents.

_Haruno Sakura._

_I know you may be thinking that I have addressed this letter to the wrong person. I haven't met you face to face before, but I have been checking up on your journey with Sasuke. From what it looks like, Sasuke seems to have a rather…soft spot for you. That is why I let you live. Ever since he was little, he always had feelings for a pink-head like you. No one in the family knew, but I did. Big brothers always want to help their little brothers throughout their lives. Sadly, I cannot and could not do that. Throughout my life, I have been misunderstood by everyone, but I am fine with it. _

_Sasuke was still small when the Uchiha massacre took place and he knew nothing behind what the whole clan was planning. We felt neglected by the civilians and ninjas of the village, since we were shunned into a corner of the town. This was to prevent any of us from having any interactions with the other villagers. In order to gain back the honour that we once had, the clan decided to overtake Konoha and make ourselves the rulers of it. I was a double agent for Konoha at the time when the 3__rd__ Hokage was established with the two lousy and foul advisors who cared more about their own lives than the sake of the village. I had to tell the advisors what the clan was planning, and I had to tell the clan what the advisors were planning. Obviously, I gave some false information to my parents. They never suspected that I was a spy._

_My mission assigned to me later on, was to massacre my entire clan, so Konoha would be safe. I had a chance to reject it, but I couldn't. If I did, there would be another huge ninja war, just like the other ones, which would undoubtedly take away others' lives. If only the death of one clan could prevent all this, then by all means, I would fulfil this mission. Fulfil it I did, but the one thing I failed to do, was to kill my beloved brother. Pure as snow and untainted by anything in this world. Foolish little brother he was, he wanted to surpass me by any means. Everyone is unique, and he would exceed me in many different ways when he grew up. He was my one weak spot. I regret not being able to watch him during his life, but I trust you and that obnoxious blond loudmouth to keep an eye on him. _

_I won't go in depth about how I felt at the time when I had to slay the clan, but it was something that I was completely unprepared for. And I wasn't happy with the decision. But now, that Sasuke's accomplished his mission of killing me, I can happily leave this world with the sins I have committed, no longer tainting and haunting me. _

_I know you get emotional easily, so don't think of this story as a way to soften up your heart or anything, but I was going to die sooner or later. You ask why? I had a terminal illness. I never bothered to get it checked out because honestly, I wanted to die. I shouldn't be allowed to live after doing such a thing, so I suppose my being diagnosed with a terminal illness is a fitting end for me. Slow and painful. Just like Sasuke's pain, agonizing and everlasting. _

_This is everything that I have to say to…basically anyone in this world. If you wish, then let Sasuke read this letter. My opinion? I don't really care. Just don't let him be too reckless again, and make sure he eats his meals every day. He used to skip out on a lot of meals when he was younger, training was more important to him, apparently. Live out your life to the fullest, kids._

_Uchiha Itachi_

Sakura's eyes widened as she finished the letter. This was…unexpected, not something she had foreseen. This was all so fucked up. Itachi wasn't the bad guy; it was…the two old advisors that Tsunade hated. Those selfish gits that cared more about their own lives than other people. It was because of them that Sasuke lost his entire family. It was their fault; Sasuke didn't need to have become an avenger. He could've lived a happy life, as a stationary member of Team Seven, along with her and Naruto. Maybe they could have fallen in love in Konoha, and happily stayed there. Naruto didn't need to have two things to worry about, both Akatsuki and Sasuke. It would've only been minimized to one thing. With Sasuke's help, Akatsuki would be a load off Naruto's back; at least he would know that there was someone to back him up.

She balled her hands into fists as she thought about the what ifs. Tears rolled down her face in anger and pain, for the things that the Uchiha had to go through and for the happy life that Sasuke could've once had. It was all destroyed. Who could give back the lost time that Sasuke had wasted on getting revenge? Who could give back the happiness that Sasuke and Itachi have both lost? Most of all, who could give back the loving brother that Sasuke had adored and loved with all his heart?

"Sakura…" Sasuke moaned.

Sakura looked over at Sasuke, her eyes still streaming with warm, hot tears. Quickly getting off her bed, she went to his side.

"I'm right here, Sasuke." She reassuringly said, her voice slightly different than usual.

His eyelids opened to reveal cloudy onyx-black eyes; the very same eyes that mesmerized her when they were young; they still do. They blinked several times before the cloudiness was gone. Slowly getting up and throwing the packet of ice on his head away, Sasuke grabbed hold of Sakura.

"I thought you were gone." Sasuke said into her hair.

She hugged him back lightly. "If I had died, I at least knew that I managed to save you once from dying." she joked.

"Why'd you do that? Why'd you risk your life for me?" Sasuke pulled back as he looked her in the eyes. "I won't take the answer that you just did it for Naruto. And why are you crying?"

"The tears? Oh, I just healed back a bit of my foot and it stung a little." She said.

"And… I…I don't know. When I saw that Itachi almost hit you with Amaterasu…I…didn't want you to get hurt. I realized that if you just...just…disappeared from my life again, I wouldn't know what to do." Sakura quietly continued on.

"Wouldn't you just carry on like you have before, Sakura?" Sasuke softly said.

"It's different this time, Sasuke…kun."

He tried to smirk when he heard the old suffix for his name. Sadly the corner of his mouth was cut open, so it caused him great pain when he tried.

Sakura absentmindedly healed the cut.

"When I don't see you now, I panic, because I think you might have left me again, or even worse, died. Every time you touch me, or even when we're close, it's so hard to keep myself away. You're like a drug to me, alluring in every aspect." Sakura started to cry again as she released her inner emotions into words. It hurt so much, to have all these pent up feelings inside her. She felt like a dam's just burst when she told him all this, everything was so much to handle all by herself.

"Then you tell me that you're what—destined to be a loner forever or something? What am I supposed to think of it?"

The door opened to let Juugo in. Sakura took the opportunity to rip herself from Sasuke and ran out the door, tears cascading down her face. Juugo looked surprised as he flattened himself against the wall to allow Sakura to pass. Looking into the room, he saw that Sasuke was stock-still on the bed, sitting up with his blankets all mussed around his legs.

"Sasuke-sama? Are you feeling better?" Juugo politely asked.

"Hn."

"I've brought some medicine to keep your fever down. If you need anything, you can find Karin and Suigetsu down in the lounge. I think I'll go after Sakura-san. Her injuries aren't very light, and she hasn't had the time to heal herself." He put the medicine down on the nightstand beside the glass of water, and was about to leave, before Sasuke stopped him.

"It's fine. I'll go get her after. Just join the other two in the lounge. I'll meet with you three later." Sasuke ordered.

"If that is what you wish, Sasuke-sama." Juugo politely bowed before he left the room, leaving Sasuke alone with his thoughts.

It wasn't just him feeling all these mixtures of emotions; it was completely mutual between them both. He has a life now, right? Avenging is totally done with. He can spend more of his time relaxing, still training of course from time to time to hone up his skills. And…this means he has a chance with Sakura. To make her happy, unlike before, where he had only brought her hurt, and even more hurt. And an Uchiha never steps down from a fight. If he has to take her away from Kakashi, then so be it. Former sensei or not, no sympathy can be given when it involves a woman they both love and cherish.

Thinking about how life would be like if he returned to Konoha being a missing S-Ranked ninja, Sasuke was broken out of his thoughts when he noticed a piece of paper on the ground. It looked pretty crumpled too. Bending over the edge of the bed to pick it up, he winced as he accidentally strained one of his wounds on his torso. Straightening out the piece of paper, he started to read it; he finished it with crimson eyes.

**~-.-~**

Sakura quietly jumped onto the rocks that overlooked the ocean. The waves crashed onto the side of the rocks, showering her with mists of ocean water. She flinched as her back stung a little from the overexertion of her recently closed cuts. Situating herself on the rocks at the tip of the cliff, Sakura swung her legs over it, her legs dangling off the rocks. The wind was strong and it whipped her hair around her face, blurring the breathtaking view of the ocean before her. Here, no one can see her cry, no one can see her pains, no one can see her for how weak she is, only the ocean can.

Sakura ached so badly for her hometown, for Naruto, for everyone that could bring her comfort. When she thought of Kakashi, she could only think of him as her former sensei and nothing else. She missed that bright smile of her obnoxious and loud male best friend and the comforting words of her medic mentor. Everything she had, she left them at Konoha, because Konoha was never the same without Sasuke. Sasuke was part of the village, and everyone knew that, but they never cared about him the way she and Naruto did. Simple, they never got to know Sasuke the way she and Naruto had; he became a part of their family. If only she could ask her Mother for advice, or even her Father. There was no one to help her anymore.

"Okaa-san…" Sakura cried out to the ocean as she stood up. "Why did you and Otou-san leave me alone? I wasn't even there…to see you both for the last time. I was too late…"

Sakura fell onto her knees as she hunched over. She was so tired of everything…she always tried to do her best, but why do things never go the way they're supposed to go? Where was the happy ending that everyone deserved? Why was it that this world was so unfair? Training everyday…putting on a façade to the villagers, she could never be true to herself. The emotional and mental stress that she had to handle by herself ever since Sasuke left was taking their toll on her. She only wanted someone to make her feel whole; Kakashi was just like a brother to her, but she knew that she loved him at least a little, as a substitute for Sasuke.

"Doushite…doushite!" she screamed. _'Why am I so filthy?'_

"Sakura." A voice came from behind her.

Sakura stiffened as she heard the voice behind her. She didn't want to see him at all; she wanted to avoid him at all costs after what had happened at the hotel.

"Look at me." The voice ordered.

"No." She steadily said.

"Sakura."

She turned around and threw a barrage of words at Sasuke. "I don't deserve you, Sasuke! There's nothing good about me. I'm only a filthy and weak woman who can't even take care of herself, let alone others! I don't even know what to say to Kakashi when I go back to Konoha. To let him know that I cheated on him and that I want his forgiveness? I _want _to be with you, I _don't_ want to let this drag on any more. What kind of happiness can I bring others if even I myself don't even know what can cause _me_ to be happy?"

Sakura stopped when Sasuke raised his bandaged hand with the letter in it. "Don't torment yourself over this. If you don't deserve me, then I don't deserve you either. I'm tainted as well, Sakura. I'm dirtied by thoughts of vengeance and the disgusting ways I've gone through to obtain the power I have today. Most of the things I've done were for naught. This letter—Itachi's written monologue, was all the explanation I've ever needed to satisfy me. And–"

His words were drowned out when an extremely huge wave crashed onto the rocks, muting out Sasuke's voice. Sakura couldn't hear him, but yet, she read his lips.

"—you make me happy just by being by my side."

In an instant, Sasuke appeared closer to her, only mere inches away from her body. He wrapped his arms securely around her tired frame and enveloped her into a warm and comforting hug. Sakura was frozen for a moment, before she buried her face into Sasuke's shoulder and cried out her heart due to her home sickness and emotional stress of having had to handle everything by herself.

"I'll take you away from him and claim you as my own." Sasuke said into her ear. She could only nod in response, because truthfully, that was the only thing she'd ever wanted.

**~-.-~**

"Hey, you guys are back." Karin worriedly said as Sasuke entered the door of the hotel with an unconscious Sakura in his arms.

"Do you guys need something from me?" Sasuke asked, his arms shifting to adjust to Sakura's weight on his damaged hands.

"We just didn't know what happened when both you and Sakura ran out the door like the wind here. Wasn't her foot injured?" Suigetsu lazily said.

"She got it healed after taking care of Sasuke-sama." Juugo interjected.

"I'm going to Konoha once Sakura wakes up. Our mission is finished. Karin and Suigetsu, the two of you may leave. Juugo, I will recommend a very experienced medic ninja for your condition when we reach Konoha." Sasuke nonchalantly said.

"Sasuke-kun! I thought we're a team! You can't just throw us away like that!" Karin agitatedly said.

"There is no longer a use for a team when there is no mission." Sasuke bluntly said.

"There's no code saying we must leave the members that we are no longer teamed up with!"

"I never said you two must leave, both of you have your own free will." Sasuke finished as he went up the stairs.

He heard a squeal and a thump from the lounge.

"Suigetsu! He said we can still follow him!" Karin squealed.

"Ugh. I heard. Now get off me you slutface." Suigetsu sourly said.

Sasuke smirked as he kicked the door closed behind him. It wasn't only him that had something starting.

'_Giving sorrow, getting sorrow, knowing love [in] the entwined sighs'~  


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Are you guys going to be sad that the story's going to be ending? 'Cause I know I will be ): Please drop by to read my other stories that I will be posting and have posted! Completely SasuSaku! Review please!

_- Kanryu _out_  
_


	14. Chapter 14

YES. SECOND TO LAST DISCLAIMER THEN I'LL BE RID OF YOU FOR GOOD :D for this story anyway.

**Disclaimer** : I sadly do not own Naruto ): the GazettE owns the song Gentle Lie and the lyrics at every chapter. The whole song's lyrics will be revealed next chapter in both Japanese and English. I love them. They make me tear up in happiness at the things they say and do and the music they humbly make for themselves and the world and especially their fans. Okay, they are NOT a boy band -.- boy bands don't make their own compositions and whatnot and play the instruments, the GazettE do! So please respect them. Really.

On with the story now!

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**Chapter 14**** - _Gentle Lie_  
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"Naruto-kun!" Hinata cried out as she saw him appear from the forest.

Various people who were tending the injured looked up as the hero's name of the village was called. Hinata wasn't the only person to run up to him, but as she ran up to Naruto, he gave her a bear hug.

"Hinata-chan…you're safe." Naruto put his hand to her head as he mumbled the words. "I'm so glad…"

"N-Naruto-kun…" Hinata nervously said as she saw that they created an audience of smirking people. "Everyone's looking…"

"So Hinata, when are you going to let go of Naruto so that we can have our chance of talking to him?" Kiba enthusiastically asked.

"Oh, I'm s-sorry, Kiba!" Hinata embarrassingly exclaimed as she tried to pull back from Naruto.

"I'm kidding, Hinata!" Kiba laughed. "Even if you want Naruto all to yourself, let the villagers have him first!"

Naruto let go of Hinata to look at the village that awaited him. The whole village was in a mass crowd, calling out his name and shoving past each other to try to thank him themselves. People were injured everywhere, but albeit their injuries, they still wanted to say thanks to him before they tended to their wounds.

"MINNA-SAN!" Naruto cheerfully yelled out.

"HAIIIII!" Everyone yelled back.

"ARIGATOU FOR YOUR HELP. I HOPE EVERYONE'S SAFE AND HAPPY."

"Naruto, those are the cheesiest lines I've ever heard in my life." Kiba choked out.

"Hey, you. Shut up. Don't interrupt when the future Hokage's speaking!" A woman said.

Kiba was too shocked to say anything in retaliation to her offensive comment. The mass of people rushed forward and knocked him over, resulting in Kiba landing flat on his face. A mini group of the villagers lifted Naruto into the air and threw him up, marking him as the hero who risked his life for the people who once labelled him as the black sheep of the community. Naruto had an expression of happiness on his whiskered face as the villagers shouted his name nonstop for the next few hours.

**~-.-~**

"Naruto." A voice called.

Called man whisked himself around and looked at the person who called his name. Naruto's eyes widened to their limit as he saw who stood in front of him.

"S-Sakura-chan…" Naruto whispered as he took a few steps towards her.

She ran up to him and into his arms and gave her best friend a hug. "I'm…home, Naruto."

He was frozen for a few seconds, but closed his eyes as he circled his arms around her in a brotherly fashion. "…Okaeri, Sakura-chan."

"I'm sorry, Naruto. That I left like that without telling you anything. You were worried, weren't you?" Sakura mumbled as she breathed in his scent: earthy and cheery.

"Yeah. Really worried. Really really really worried, dattebayo!" Naruto repeated. "When I saw that stump with like what seemed like half your body's worth of blood on it, yeah, I was worried."

Sakura's chime-like laugh rang through the air. "Oh, Naruto. I only gave myself a shallow cut and I healed it back right after!" She pulled away from him to give him a good look.

"Don't use big words on me, Sakura-chan!" Naruto pouted.

"Naruto. The word shallow is a pretty commonly used word in my vocabulary. You were there every time I said it!" Sakura protested.

"I don't remember, but it's fine. The thing that matters most is that you're home." He smiled.

"Come with me for a second, Naruto." She abruptly said.

Taking his hand, Sakura led him away outside of Konoha's damaged village gates and into the dense forest that surrounded it. Naruto didn't know where he was going, but it seemed as if Sakura knew the way, so he let her lead. After walking hand in hand for what seemed like half an hour, Sakura stopped. Dropping his hand, Sakura walked forwards a couple steps and into a minuscule ray of light that the cluster of trees had let through onto the forest floor.

"Sasuke-kun." Sakura said softly.

Sakura's hair was down, due to the bandages that she bore on her forehead. The sudden small breeze gently blew her hair to the side, which allowed Naruto to see more of the bandages that covered her shoulders as well. A figure suddenly loomed before Sakura, taller than her by a few inches. Blue-black hair shone in the small ray of sunlight and made it seem bluer than ever before. His head, hands, and torso sported overlapping layers of bandages. Naruto's eyes widened for the second time in the same day within the span of an hour.

"Dobe." Sasuke smirked as he looked straight in said person's eyes.

"S-Sasuke?" Naruto disbelievingly said.

"Hn. Never remembered for you to stutter so much."

"Sakura-chan, you—"

"I promised you, didn't I?" Sakura replied, her back facing him.

"Teme! You—you really—"

"Yes, Naruto. I killed Itachi. That's why I have these bandages. You'd think we'd have gotten away from the battle scar-free? Not likely." Sasuke scoffed.

"That means—"

"I'll be coming back to Konoha for good? Yes."

"But—oi! Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled out as Sakura swayed and started heading for the floor.

Sasuke gallantly caught her and shifted her in his arms.

"The battle was only over a few days ago. Our wounds are still fresh, Naruto. When you hugged her, you probably accidentally re-opened her wounds. Think Tsunade will help?"

"That's Tsunade-_sama_ for you. Most definitely, Sakura's her treasured apprentice." Naruto corrected.

**~-.-~**

"Absolutely not! Why must I heal my foolish apprentice when her wounds will heal themselves in a matter of days and weeks?" Tsunade argued.

"Because…she's your apprentice?" Sasuke countered.

"No one asked for the traitor's opinion." Tsunade harshly said. "Those wounds aren't life-threatening, but if you guys must insist on her re-opening of the wounds again and again, the blood loss will be. Now take her away to the Uchiha compounds for her to recuperate while the rest of the village is being rebuilt. Scat."

"Obaa-chan! Why must we go to the Uchiha compounds?" Naruto protested.

"Aside from the Hyuuga and Nara compounds, only the Uchiha compounds are intact. All the other buildings have been demolished to the ground from Pain's attack. And no one's allowed on the Uchiha's turf right now. Even though you may still be a traitor, Uchiha Sasuke, those are still sacred grounds. You are not allowed to leave the compounds until I have decided on what your punishment will be."

"Ah. I suppose I'll say arigatou gozaimasu." Sasuke emotionlessly said as he walked out with an unconscious Sakura in his arms.

"Oi! Sasuke-teme! Chotto matte! I'll see you later 'baa-chan!" Naruto called out as he ran after Sasuke.

**~-.-~**

"Hey! I _said_ wait up, teme!"

Sasuke didn't falter in his step as he continued to walk towards his old home.

"Sasuke-teme. What do you plan to do, and why are you back?" Naruto asked, as they walked through the debris towards the compounds.

"Hn. Don't see a need for you to know, dobe." was his simple reply.

"I think I have a right to know, since you basically kidnapped Sakura-chan and left with her without a notice or anything. She's like a sister to me."

"My plans…have been delayed for now. I'm back because I want to, got any issues?" Sasuke stonily said.

"Whatever, let's just hurry and put Sakura-chan on something soft and help out the village after. It's in a mess." Naruto sighed.

"…Hn."

Arriving at the Uchiha compounds, Sasuke remembered how it used to be like before the massacre occurred. The streets bustled with his blood relatives, and everyone knew him by his name and he knew them by theirs. The buildings used to be once majestic, but the years of neglect by the village left the buildings old and rundown. The streets and buildings however, were cleansed from any remnants of blood; this provided Sasuke a little security, even though he's seen enough gore and bodies to scar a sane man.

His memory never failing, Sasuke led the way to his old house, adjoined to the room where his parents were murdered. The door creaked as they entered, the floorboards groaned as they walked through the dusty interior of the old complex.

"Sorry for intruding." Naruto murmured as he entered the old uninhabited house.

Sasuke entered his old room as a child; even as a child he had a king-sized bed. It just showed how really well off the Uchiha clan was. Placing Sakura gently on the dark blue almost black sheets, Sasuke stood back and looked at her. Naruto watched Sasuke as he laid Sakura down onto what he assumed was his old bed. Sasuke stood beside the bed, looking down at Sakura with hard eyes, with just a touch of softness to them. _'I knew he always had a soft spot for Sakura, but when did he ever show emotions?'_ Naruto wondered. Deciding to leave Sasuke alone to give him so privacy, Naruto walked downstairs and out to the garden direly in need of weeding.

The creases on her temple started to flatten out when Sasuke laid his hand on her forehead. She looked at ease as the warmth on his hand gave her the comfort she needed, from the pain she was experiencing. His hand trailed down to her pink tresses, lightly caressing them. Sasuke gave a sigh, worried about his comrade, the only one he's truly opened up to. Pulling the blanket over her worn out body, Sasuke turned round and closed the door quietly behind him; his sandals made small clouds of dust appear alive as he walked.

He joined Naruto in the garden, looking at the blank scenery around him.

"She any better?" Naruto asked.

"Slightly. Someone needs to be around her when she gets up. I say we have around a couple hours before she awakens."

"I never knew you worried for her, Sasuke. When you left the village, she was totally broken; she looked lifeless."

Sasuke stared impassively at one of the small flowers with slightly opened petals.

"Then, Kakashi took her in, and she was so happy. It was the happiest I've—no, we, as in the village, saw her for the longest time. Her mother and father also died by rogue ninjas. She made sure of the rogues' sentence." Naruto shuddered as he spoke the last sentence. "Basically, everyone's gone; she doesn't have anyone left in the world, Sasuke. And, I have my duties, after learning Sage mode and my surpassing Ero-sennin; I'm too busy to look after Sakura-chan, even though she's my sister."

Sasuke sensed what Naruto was getting at. "Dobe, what the hell are you suggesting? Just get to the point."

"Well, I saw how intimate you were with Sakura-chan in the bedroom. I think with you being a missing-nin and all that has just decided to return to the village, Tsunade baa-chan won't let you get out much. But if you're with Sakura-chan, she won't object. Godaime should excuse Sakura-chan for a while from work, due to her accomplished mission of bringing you back. Just stay with her, Sasuke-teme."

"…"

"You better listen to the 6th Hokage's orders, dattebayo!"

"Right, dobe. Like you'll ever become the 6th Hokage. I'll stay because of my own free will, not because of you and your ludicrous thoughts, Naruto. I need to clean up this place anyway, it's a mess." Sasuke said.

"See ya later then, teme." Naruto winked at his best friend and rival. Sasuke responded with his retreating back and a small wave.

Sasuke went back to the room where Sakura was sleeping and dropped off his shirt and Kusanagi. He wanted to keep the grime off his clothes when he sanitized the mansion. Sakura was awakened by the rustling of Sasuke's shirt. She blinked a few times, unable to recognize where she currently was. A familiar figure right by the bedside drew her attention to it.

"Sasuke…" she mumbled and tried to sit up.

"Go back to sleep." he ordered.

"Where are we…?" Sakura questioned.

"We're at the Uchiha compounds." Sasuke quietly said with a look of worry on his face.

"Uchiha compounds? Isn't that in Konoha?" Sakura started.

"Yeah."

The bed dipped down a little, as Sasuke situated himself beside Sakura.

"Sakura, where's your parents?" Sasuke gently asked, to seem as if he looked concerned for her family. He really was, though, until Naruto told him of their outcome. Sakura gave a small gasp and went silent.

"I–I don't have a family anymore Sasuke." Sakura tilted her head down till her bangs covered her eyes. The single tear that rolled down her cheek, however, was in full view to Sasuke.

"What are Dobe and I? Inanimate objects?" That alerted a response from Sakura. Her head suddenly jerked upwards; however, her hair still blocked the view of her emerald eyes. "As long as… you're alive, Naruto and I will be your family. Bonds aren't as easily severed as I once thought."

"Sasuke…I—"

"Enough talking, the house is a mess and I need someone to help me clean up. Even with your tired state and all, you've intruded my bedroom for the past hour or so. You should at least pay for the time you've used my bedroom for by hard labour. I'll take care of the garden, and you take care of the windows, floor and the airing out of the rooms." Sasuke affirmed. "Don't overexert yourself though."

"Wait, that's no fa—"

"Don't you say to me what's fair and what's not."

"Every moment we spend idling means more dust will settle in, making it harder to clean. If you want to spend your life cleaning, go for it." Then he left, leaving Sakura alone in the dusty interior of the Uchiha mansion.

"YOU JERK! THE GARDEN'S WITH THE LEAST WORK TO DO!"

"Chakra can always help you." Sasuke offered.

**~-.-~**

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto cheerfully shouted as he waved.

"Oh, if it isn't Naruto." Kakashi crinkly-eyed smiled at his former student.

"Wow, it seems like you've taken quite a hit." Naruto mumbled.

"I'm actually allowed out of the hospital, but Tsunade-sama just wants to make sure I'm fine. I take it that you finished off Pain?"

"Haha, ossu! Another victory for Uzumaki Naruto!"

"Naruto. You've grown, a lot. To be your ex-sensei, I am very happy." Kakashi humbly said.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei! What's with all this adult talk! It's making me feel like a kid again." Naruto sulked.

"It's nothing, just nothing. So, I take it there's another reason to visiting me than just seeing if I'm dead or alive?"

"…Well, you got me. Sakura-chan's back, with Sasuke-teme." He paused.

"…Is that so?"

"Tsunade-baa-chan sent them off to the Uchiha compounds to rest. They've just taken care of Itachi and the two of them are pretty badly wounded. Besides, the sudden return of Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke to the just recently destroyed village wouldn't do any of the townspeople any good. You can go visit them after a few days when your injuries are mostly healed up. 'Baa-chan gave me permission to tell you that."

"I see…thank you Naruto."

"Kakashi-sensei…what are you going to do now?"

"What do you mean?"

"About Sakura."

"Why worry when nothing's happened yet? I'll worry when I get to see them again."

"Oh, okay then. Rest up, so you can get out of bed faster! I gotta go help with the reconstruction now. See ya!"

After Naruto left Kakashi's bedside and the tent where everyone else was staying in, he looked at the sky; the clear sky was as blue as his cerulean eyes.

"What will you do when something's already happened and you can't do anything about it?" Naruto asked to the vast expanse of blueness above him.

**~-.-~**

"Coming!" Sakura happily shouted out as she dropped the brush she was holding. "Sasuke, we have a guest!"

It's been a week since Sasuke and Sakura's returned to the village. They've learned of why Konoha was in its state and the whole story behind it all. Hers and Sasuke's wounds were almost completely healed. The wounds on her back were completely healed, but her right arm and shoulder were still sore from all the excessive chores she'd been doing for the Uchiha complex. Sasuke's injuries just made her laugh. After he claimed the garden to do the weeding, he noticed that his hands weren't ready for such chores, so they'd left the garden until later.

"Sakura, you shouldn't just yell at the door and say we have a guest, when we don't even know if the person who's at the door is dangerous or not." Sasuke sighed as he stood in the entrance of the doorway to the garden, wiping his hands on a towel.

"It's fine, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura giggled happily. "I'll just punch him all the way to Amegakure or something if he is dangerous."

"How do you know it's a he?" Sasuke inquired.

"I don't. I'm just saying."

Sakura pulled open the door with a bright smile on her face. It faltered when the person was revealed in front of her; she went completely silent when she saw who it was. Sasuke got slightly worried when he didn't hear Sakura's voice greet the person who was at the door. Either she got kidnapped or she was completely shocked. Since he didn't hear a struggle or the sound of someone getting his guts punched out, he supposed it was the latter.

"Sakura?" Sasuke uneasily asked.

Walking towards the front door, he saw a scene that he did not appreciate. Sakura was hugging Kakashi in what seemed like a tight embrace. His former sensei looked happily content with his arms around _his_ Sakura. Leaning on the front door, Sasuke closed his eyes and cleared his throat, loudly. He didn't care if he interrupted their sweet moment, not when he was around. The two quickly sprang apart and Sakura looked bashful as she quickly unhooked her arms from around his neck. Kakashi looked the same as ever, bored and uninterested.

"Hey, Sasuke. It's nice to see you again after so long." Kakashi commented.

"Hn. Same for you, I guess."

"Kakashi, don't stand in the doorway, come on in." Sakura offered.

Sasuke gave her a glare that meant, "Don't invite someone into _my_ house." She caught it but didn't take it in mind.

"No, it's fine. I have yet to see the Hokage and I'm sure she's waiting for me. I just decided to drop by for a little visit and see my two students again before I go off. I'm just glad the two of you are safe and sound."

"Oh. You sure?" Sakura uncertainly asked.

"Yes, I'm sure. Be safe, you two. I still want to see the Uchiha complex intact when I visit again." Kakashi smiled as he ruffled Sakura's hair.

"You can rest assured that this will still be here when you get back." Sasuke solidly said.

"Yeah yeah. Rawr to you, too, Sasuke. See you guys now." Then he was gone.

Sasuke got off the doorway and went back into the house, carrying an aura of uncaring-ness. Sakura closed the door and went back to her brush, mindlessly scrubbing the floors clean of filth. The happy and joyous atmosphere before Kakashi's appearance was gone. Instead, there was tension in the air and both Sakura and Sasuke could feel it. Sakura didn't know what to make of it. She was really happy to see Kakashi at the front door, letting her know that he was still alive. At the same time, she didn't want to see him, she wanted to cringe away and avoid him at all costs, and not let him see through her to the lie she's keeping from him.

Setting down her brush after what seemed like a few hours, Sakura thoroughly washed her hands and wiped it on the towel hanging off from the handlebar that opened the oven. Ambling through the door to the garden, Sakura stopped in her tracks as a breathtaking scene appeared in front of her. Sasuke was standing in the afternoon rays of sunlight that peeped through the numerous trees. His eyes were closed, and it seemed as if he was a statue, one that was beautiful beyond compare to any other. The hints of blue in his hair moved as the wind gently blew his through it, rustling the leaves as it passed. Sasuke's skin looked as if it glowed, making him look godly and surreal. It was as if Sakura was smack dab in a fairy tale story spying on a prince than being stuck in a love triangle.

She gazed at him for minutes; she wanted time to stop so this piece of art could be kept the way it was. Sadly, she was no artist like Sai or she would've grabbed pencil and paper. Quietly getting into her slippers, Sakura silently made her way across the freshly cropped grass to where Sasuke was. When she was in front of him, she looked at his features. They were perfect; pale and white flawless skin with onyx-black eyes only enhanced those entrancing characteristics of the past avenger.

'_So beautiful…'_ Sakura thought as she stretched her hand out towards his face.

Sasuke caught her hand as his dark and enchanting eyes flew open. "Hn. Like what you see?" Sasuke smirked.

"…Yeah." Sakura truthfully answered as she looked him in the eye. Honestly, she does; a Sasuke with no worries and troubles at all is who she loves.

Sasuke lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her fingers one by one. "Enough to stay with me forever?" he asked in a sexy whisper.

Her eyes enlarged at the question. "I…I…Sasuke–"

"I'm only kidding, Sakura. Don't take it so seriously when I know you're not ready for it." Sasuke dropped her hand and turned her back on her.

"O-Oh, okay."

"By the way, what was with that display of affection towards him today?"

"I was glad to see him. I thought Pain had killed him, because Naruto didn't mention anything about him when he explained everything to us. It wasn't anything personal. Well, to me at least." Sakura uncomfortably replied.

"Hn."

"You're not ma—" Sakura started but was cut off by a fleeting kiss from Sasuke.

"There's no need to be." Sasuke easily answered as he stepped into the house.

'_That I can't escpade from it is not a lie. Every time I repeat it, warmth grows in this soft lie. It seems like my breathing stops'~  


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Review please! I hope to see all/most/more of you guys in the finale of the prequel!

_- Kanryu_ out


	15. Chapter 15

Ohayou minna-san! The lemon-writing took a huge chunk out of me; this took me...a week to start it, think it through, get embarrassed, finished, reviewed, and now the updating. I had the ending of this written out way before, and I actually decided not to have a lemon at the end of this story, but...since a few of you guys wanted it, here you go! It sucks. Sincerely -_-

**Disclaimer** : I'm finally rid of you after so many chapters! MUAH HA HA. Oh um...Kishimoto-sensei owns this, I don't. The GazettE owns the song Gentle Lie and I only own the plot of the story I have derived ideas from their song. The lyrics in Japanese is down below along with the English translation. And no, I did not translate them, I'm only learning Japanese, and I have no knowledge in kanji...cept I know Chinese? :D Credits to who gave them out are down below as well.

**I LOVE ALL OF YOU GUYS AND YOUR REVIEWS. ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU FOR MAKING THIS STORY A SUCCESS. :) :) :)**

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****Chapter 15**** - _Gentle Lie_****  


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Sakura awoke to the sound of the shower running. She pulled the silky midnight blue sheets around herself, the sheets gliding smoothly across her bare skin. Whoa wait a second. Bare skin? Looking underneath the covers, Sakura gave a small gasp as she realized that she was stripped naked _and_ that a part of her that hadn't throbbed in months was throbbing once again. She ducked her head under the covers as she started to blush furiously. The blankets smelled so nice of Sasuke; now she might be mistaken for a psycho stalker of some sort. Sakura crawled into a fetal position as she remembered the events from a night's past.

_The sky was an explosion of stars. Many specks of bright lights dotted the dark blue expanse above the Uchiha compounds. It was the night of the new moon, so the crescent-shaped cheese thing was nowhere to be found. Only the two of them were lying in the grass, side-by-side, admiring the stars like they have before. Crickets were chirping in the corner of the completely weeded-out garden, creating a summer-like mood for the two resting. Fireflies flew near the trees and made it seem as if Christmas lights were hanging from them. _

_The two bathed in the silence for who knows how many minutes or even hours, yet the two said nothing. Sakura shuffled closer to Sasuke when she started feeling cold. Although it was almost mid-summer, the nights were still chilly. Thus, she got closer to Sasuke, the heater. It wasn't an intense heat that emitted from him, it was a bearable one. It was the electricity between them that Sakura was afraid to get any closer to Sasuke than where she was right now. She didn't want to be pulled under by lust. She knew that it wasn't just lust she felt towards Sasuke, but just in case. _

_Sakura started dozing off when she felt a hand on her face, gently stroking it. She pushed her head slightly to the side, encouraging the hand to touch her more. It was only Sasuke; no one else was here. No spies, no nothing. A pair of lips touched hers lightly, testing, waiting for her permission to go on further. She responded by kissing him back, softly, and her mouth caressed his, carefully taking her time getting to know him. As the kisses continued, they slowly sped up, their emotions getting the better of them._

_Sasuke cautiously tried not to crush her as he rolled on top of Sakura, caging her between his arms and the lower half of his body holding her down. Her hands went to his hair and gently pulled on it as she moaned into the kiss. Sasuke growled as her fingers pleasantly raked across his scalp; it was like all his senses were enhanced. She smelled so sweet and her body was reacting so seductively that it was making him crazy. A lower part of his body started twitching uncomfortably inside his pants as her scent engulfed him. _

_His hand slipped underneath her shirt only to feel the well-toned muscles of her stomach. Sasuke's fingers lightly danced on them, teasing them with a gentle stroke here and there, making Sakura gasp. He took this long-awaited opportunity to slip his tongue in, tangling his with hers. She tasted even better than he had thought; a mixture of strawberries and milk chocolate. He gently sucked on her tongue only to elicit a moan from her and his hair being fisted in her pale hands. _

_As the fight for dominance took place, Sakura let go of Sasuke's hair and her hands slyly went under his shirt, exploring his rippling muscles and the expanse of his chest. Sasuke somewhat jerked when he felt her hand going up his shirt, but he had another thought. Reluctantly pulling back from the kiss to catch his breath; he looked at her, her chest heaving up and down noticeably. Her cheeks were tinted pink and her lips were swollen from the kissing. The most captivating part that Sasuke could see right now were her eyes; big, green and bright, with only a slight haziness in them, she was still fully conscious of what they were doing. _

_Straddling her, Sasuke took off his shirt and casted it aside somewhere in the dim garden. He grabbed one of Sakura's hands and placed it on the left side of his chest. Sakura could feel Sasuke's erratic heartbeat pounding away beneath her hand. The feeling of being this close to Sasuke, and being able to touch him this intimately made Sakura blush, making her redder than she already is. Leaning down, Sasuke bent close to her ear and nibbled on it in an endearing way._

"_Only you can make this happen." Sasuke breathed in her ear._

_Sakura closed her eyes and turned her head away from Sasuke in embarrassment. Why was it that every time Sasuke was so close, she felt a need to do that? It seemed like he saw right through her, and it made her feel so naked from his gaze. To her surprise, a sharp nip on the side of her neck made her squeak. _

"_I marked you, just as promised." Sasuke smirked into her neck. _

"_Hey, that was unne—" Sakura started before she was cut off by another kiss. _

_He leaned his forehead against hers as he broke it off, looking deep into her eyes. Sasuke was mesmerized by those eyes of hers, so innocent, so clear and they sparkled with emotions. Only he can see what she is feeling right now. No one else can. The close proximity that Sakura and he were in was really bugging him. He was shirtless, whereas…she wasn't. He was also having a reaction down there which made him more uncomfortable than to begin with. Sasuke didn't want to scare her off. He shut his eyes as his hand crept under Sakura's shirt, moving up towards the bandages she wore around her chest. Sasuke had once asked her why there were so many bandages in the bathroom when Sakura replied that she liked wearing them more than bras. She said bras made her uncomfortable and when she fought, it would always slip up._

_Sasuke's fingers lingered around the bindings she wore around her chest, wondering if he should persist. Sakura noticed he was debating with himself and gave him a kiss as she laid her hand over his. Slipping his hand out from under hers, Sasuke reached under Sakura with both his arms and graciously lifted her up bridal style. Her hands flew to his shoulders as they started moving to stable herself. She couldn't see where she was going, since they were still kissing; Sakura trusted Sasuke to bring her somewhere safe, and a place much warmer than the grass they were on earlier. _

_As Sasuke brought her up the stairs, he quickly disposed of Sakura's shirt and left it on the railing. It slid down only to drop and fold into a tiny puddle at the base of the stairs. Nudging the door open with his back, Sasuke closed it with a swift kick. He dropped Sakura onto the bed and trapped her between his arms once again. Lowering his head, Sasuke softly kissed Sakura from her neck to her jaw, then lingered there, his warm breath ghosting over her skin. She shivered in response and turned her head to press her lips to his. _

_It was as if that was the spark that set the both of them off. The two were soon caught up in a duelling make out session; Sasuke's hands went down to Sakura's skirt and yanked it off, as she tried to pull off his sweatpants. He noticed her struggle and in one fluid movement, he removed them and dropped them over the side of the bed. Then, Sasuke planted kisses on her lower abdomen and slowly worked his way up, nipping her here and there, leaving red marks. Her breathing was irregular as he started loosening the bindings with his teeth from around her chest, exposing more of her skin for him to see._

_At the same time, his hands were trailing down her sides feeling her smooth skin. When he reached her panties, Sasuke nimbly made quick work of it and casted it aside. He leaned back to take a look at her; the pale sliver of moon that entered the room from the almost closed curtains allowed Sasuke to admire the pink-haired beauty in front of him. Her skin was pale white, aside from the hickeys he had given her; the slimness of her face only accentuated the bright green eyes of hers. The pink tresses that she used to hate were splayed everywhere on the pillow, fanning out behind her head and the rosy tint on her cheeks were no match for her hair. Sasuke randomly wondered if his cheeks were as red as hers. _

_Her long legs wrapped themselves around his middle, connecting his clothed and heated erection to her core. Sakura pushed herself off from the bed and latched her arms around Sasuke's neck, her chest pressed up against his, the bindings around her chest loosely hanging off; strands of them tickled her lower back. _

"_Sasuke-kun…" Sakura breathed. "If you're any slower, I don't think I can take it anymore."_

_Sakura then flipped Sasuke over to his back, slyly pulling off his boxers as she did so. Leaning down, she slowly licked the shell of Sasuke's ear as she grinded herself on him, coating him with a bit of her fluid. He squirmed beneath her as she made him more uncomfortable; it was just driving him mad not being able to be enveloped in her heat. She was this turned on already, and well, as both of them could feel, he was too. Sakura leisurely pulled the remaining bindings away from her chest, giving Sasuke the full view of her not-so-modest bust. Her hands reached out towards Sasuke's head, wanting to blindfold him with the bandages. He roughly grabbed her hand and watched as the strips of gauze dangled in the air above his eyes._

"_You want to blindfold me when I have something as nice as this to see?" Sasuke brushed a hand across her breasts, making her nipples pucker up into hard buds._

_Sakura twitched as he did so, and it seemed as if she was struggling to keep herself in control. "It's either you or me." she challenged; she could feel her control slipping away. _

_Sasuke smirked as he fastened the knot firmly behind her head._

_He flipped her onto her back once more and entered her. Sakura's hands then went on his back and her fingers dug into his skin, drawing tiny amounts of blood. Sasuke felt he was in heaven, she was so tight and the heat that sheathed his member was better than he had thought of earlier. He silenced her throaty moan with the kiss, and her voice reverberated throughout his body, making him jolt forward in pleasure. _

_This only added to him thrusting deeper into Sakura, making her face twist into one of pure bliss. In response, she broke off the kiss and put her hands on his shoulders, panting, as she rocked her hips against his, encouraging him on. Sasuke caught one of her breasts in his mouth and suckled on it, as his hand kneaded the other, making Sakura gasp and moan in delight. Her hands clutched his hair once again, pulling on it as she arched upwards into him. With his other hand, he started fondling with her clitoris, his fingers slipping with their combined juices flowing out of her. _

"_Sasuke…" she moaned, as she felt him driving her closer to the edge. _

_Mentioned person silenced her with a bruising kiss. It was wild, no restraints; only pure, raw emotions. He threaded his fingers through her hair, layering it with their juices. His harsh pants only made Sakura feel hotter and wetter, along with the steady pace he was setting. All of a sudden, Sasuke's hands went to her legs, and pushed them further apart, widening her hole, making it easier for him to slip in and out. Then, he managed to hit the one special weak spot which elicited a sharp cry from her. Her hands flew to his biceps and stayed there, as she clung to him for support. _

_Pleasured screams ripped from her raw throat as he pounded in. The room was filled with the sounds of harsh pants and when they connected, the slick fluids that flowed out of them only provided a thick and squelchy sound. Sakura wrapped her legs around Sasuke's lower back, setting a faster tempo for them; limiting the distance to almost none as he pulled back and slammed into her in an unrelenting and rough way. She arched into him as one particular thrust hit her weak spot again, making her moan his name as she came, her liquids coating his membrane. The sudden extreme tightening of her muscles clamped around his member, driving him over the edge as well. He grunted his name as he released himself in her, finally marking her as his own._

_Sasuke withdrew himself from inside of her and he struggled not to fall onto her just yet. Supporting his whole body with an unsteady arm, he grabbed a kunai off of the nightstand and undid the knot that held her blindfold together. It fell apart, only to reveal hazy but still beautiful green eyes, tiredly looking at him. His blue-black locks covered his eyes from Sakura's view; only hints of red could be seen. The smile that graced her lips made him dip down and capture them, in a lingering sweet embrace. Then he lied down on the mattress beside her, bringing her into a close hug as he draped the fallen covers over both of their fatigued figures. Peaceful darkness soon reached, and the two drifted off to sleep in each others' loved presence._

Sasuke walked out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist, only to find _his_ blankets covering Sakura's head. Smirking, he silently padded across the bedroom and laid down on his bed. He scuffled over to Sakura, only to see her twitch nervously underneath the sheets. Casually throwing his arm over her form, Sasuke inwardly laughed as he saw her get closer to the edge of the bed. Shifting his arm up, he pulled the sheets away from Sakura's head, only to reveal a mess of pink tresses and pink ears. He nibbled on one of them and Sasuke saw that her whole body shuddered in response to his endearing actions.

"You were _so beautiful_ last night." Sasuke teased.

Sakura gave an extremely large jerk, which resulted in Sasuke getting pushed onto his back. Seeing an opening, Sakura whipped the blankets off the bed and wrapped them around herself as she got up from the bed, quickly headed for the bathroom. Sasuke lunged after her as she ran like the dickens to the sanctuary of the bathroom.

"Oh, no you don't." Sasuke breathed after he threw her back onto the bed and trapped her between his two arms.

She really was very beautiful; it must be a felony to be this pretty. Her cheeks were flushed red and her pale skin contrasted with the midnight blue sheets, making her skin look creamy and soft to the touch. Which…it was. The only thing…or things that marred her flawless skin were the love bites that he had so lovingly given her. Sakura's shocking green eyes looked up at him, with a sparkle in them. He could tell from them that she was happy but…he decided to ask her just in case.

"So…I take it you're happy…?" Sasuke drawled as he spoke with his lips on her shoulder.

"Yeah." Sakura smiled at him as he looked up. "I'd be even happier though if…"

"If…?"

"We don't do it again for another few days." Sasuke quirked an eyebrow at her statement.

"Because…" She leaned up to whisper in his ear. "…You're just too good for me to keep up with everyday."

Then she quickly flipped a stunned Sasuke over onto his back. Taking this opportunity to dash for the bathroom, Sakura skilfully unwrapped the sheets from around her and threw them onto Sasuke, blinding him for a split second as she bolted for it. When Sasuke finally ripped the sheets off him, he was already too late. The tiny click of the bathroom lock could be heard. And if he remembered correctly, the bathroom door's key was the only one that was lost. Even with a keyhole, nothing could unlock that door, unless he had a lock pick. And oh damn, can she ever talk sexy.

**~-.-~**

"Kakashi, are you sure you really want to leave now? Konoha's just being rebuilt right now, perhaps you should leave when the town's in a more stable state." Tsunade reasoned.

"Yes. I still have some things to tidy up with the Kazekage. He said he wanted some of my help over there for a year and he was willing to pay a huge sum to Konoha to help with the restoration of it too. I wouldn't want to miss a chance like this for Konoha. Besides, Naruto could easily take down any enemies." Kakashi retorted.

"But this is in stead of one of my best ninjas. I was also planning to instate you as the sixth Hokage as well, Kakashi. Your skills are definitely one of the best of the village's. Are you sure you want to miss out on this chance?"

"Hokage-sama. I have no interest in being the Hokage at all. A perverted and lazy person like me does not want a part in any politics of this village and country, as much as I love it. You still have a good few many years lying in wait for you, Tsunade-sama."

"Thanks for the flattering words, you sweet talking Jounin. I guess I can't stop you from going anywhere you really want to go. Here, don't forget to take this with you." Tsunade whipped something at Kakashi and he caught it. It was the letter he had given her before the battle had started.

"I suppose you don't want me to give it to Sakura, so I'll return this to you. What you want to do with it is your choice. It is your letter. Now get out of my sight before I reconsider." Tsunade grumpily said.

"Arigatou gozaimasu, Hokage-sama. I'll send messengers every so often to update you of my progress in Suna."

Tsunade responded with a wave of her sake bottle and Kakashi left the building. Walking towards the main gate, he spotted a blob of pink behind a cluster of trees. Sakura rounded the trees and saw him. A bright smile lit up her face as she started running towards him while she waved one of her arms in greeting. Her other arm bore two bagfuls of what looked like a week's worth of groceries. She gave him a huge hug when she got close enough.

"Hey, you." She enthusiastically said. "It seems like it's so long since I've seen you."

"It was only a day, Sakura." Kakashi amusedly said.

"So what are you doing so early out? It's rare not to see you at the memorial stone at this time of day." Sakura lightly commented.

"I'm just about to leave for Suna."

"Oh." Sakura frowned at what he said. "For a short mission or…"

"I'll be gone for a year."

When Kakashi said that, Sakura felt like the bottom of her stomach had just disappeared. Today was the day when she wanted to tell him everything, when she wanted to spill her guts to him about what was going on through her heart and her mind. But now…instead of being able to sit down with him and converse about what they are now, she got the news that he was going to leave. For a year. Leave her alone with Sasuke for a whole year. Gods, she was going to ache by the end of that year. Poor rear end of hers. It took a lot of chakra to heal up her sore spot so she could walk out and buy some food for the two of them.

"I didn't hear from you yesterday…" Sakura trailed off.

"Kazekage-sama wanted me to go as soon as possible, and I got the notification after I left Sasuke's house yesterday. This is pretty new to me too. Nothing will happen to me, Sakura, I promise."

"Can you come back for visits or something occasionally?" She sounded hopeful.

"I'm supposed to be a citizen for the year while I'm there. So the answer is no, I'm sorry to say. But I will be sending messages through Tsunade-sama every so often. You can always keep in contact with me that way." Kakashi kindly said.

"But the village just got attacked and everything, and Sasuke and I just got back. Can't you wait out for another few weeks or so?" Sakura rambled.

"Sakura. Don't digress, please. I don't want to leave either, but for the village, I have to."

"I…I…" Sakura's eyes started welling up with tears as she thought about how lonely it would be without her former sensei there. The one who she spilt her guts and secrets to. A hand gently lifted her face upwards, and something soft pressed against her lips. The last kiss with him. The last time for everything was now. Her lips trembled as she softly pressed her mouth back against his. It was soft, a fleeting kiss, one that wouldn't seem much to bystanders, but it meant a lot to the two of them. To Sakura, it meant the end of her relationship with Kakashi. To him, he knew that Sakura wouldn't be the same when he got back. After a few seconds, he withdrew and pulled up his mask to cover his face again. Sakura's eyes shone with unshed tears as she looked up at Kakashi.

"You're so beautiful when your hair's down…" Kakashi murmured.

"I only leave it down for the ones who I love the most to see." Sakura joked.

"I feel honoured."

"We'll throw a welcome back party when you come back, Kakashi." Sakura promised.

"I'll look forward to it." He said, as he turned his back on Sakura and walked towards the gate. "Take care."

"You, too…"

She stood there until his back was just a speck in the distance, and for another long while after she couldn't see him anymore. The wind blew from behind her, gently tossing her long and pink tresses in her face. Sakura didn't bother pushing it back behind her ears, because she didn't want anyone to see her tears. The tears for the love that existed because she was selfish. Because of her, someone who needn't have gotten hurt ended up getting injured. She walked to a bench and sat there, splotches of tears dotting the cement paving as she cried.

After two hours, Sasuke was getting pretty worried. She had only said she was going to get groceries. He didn't do her that badly last night…did he? Shaking inappropriate thoughts from his mind, Sasuke quickly put on a shirt and opened the door, only to almost collide with Sakura head on. In her case, a collarbone-head on collision.

"Sakura?" Sasuke asked. "What took you so long?"

"Oh, sorry about that. Oh I was out for two hours? Sorry, Sasuke. I bumped into someone I knew." Sakura apologetically said.

Sasuke coolly leaned against the counter as she put everything away. "And it caused you to have tear tracks on your face? You saw Kakashi, didn't you?"

Sakura stopped what she was doing and just let her arms drop to her side. "Yeah." She turned to look out the window as she fidgeted with her hands.

"What happened?" Sasuke carefully pressed on, not wanting Sakura to explode.

"We talked. He was just leaving for Suna when I ran into him."

Sasuke knew that Sakura wasn't letting him on everything she knew. He decided to help her lighten up a bit before she said anything else.

"Come with me. Don't worry about your tear-stained face. No one will see you, at the place we're going." Sasuke confidently said as he grabbed Sakura by the hand and yanked her out of the house.

"Sasuke …where we going?" Sakura confusedly asked as she quickly wiped her face down with a wet towel she had just managed to grab before getting torn from the house.

Sasuke didn't answer her, but just dragged her firmly by the hand and into the woods. The woods where everything between them started. These woods were taken care of by the Uchiha when well, everyone was still alive. It didn't seem like it mattered: the trees were still happily growing and letting the sunshine through. He thought it would've changed, but it didn't change as much. Reaching the place where they had indirectly met a decade ago, Sasuke let go of her hands and looked around. It was somewhat exhilarating, to be back in this place, all over again. They were so different, and everything seemed so much the same for this sentimental place.

"Do you remember this place, Sakura?" Sasuke asked, as he stuck his hands into his pockets.

"You mean—black ribbon place?" Sakura gasped.

"Hn." Sasuke smirked in response. "This is the place where I confessed in a piece of paper to a person very special to me. And this hangout is the only place where I can be true to myself, and where no lies exist. I hope this clearing where we are standing in right now, can always be the one place where you can't lie to yourself as well."

"Sasuke…" Sakura trailed off, her voice quiet.

"I don't believe after what we've been through, you'll lie to me." Sasuke reassuringly said to her. "If you don't want to tell me some things, I'll wait, because I know you'll tell me one day. I also don't expect that your heart will officially stay with me after one night, and within such a short period of time as well."

Sakura was touched. She honestly was. This Sasuke wasn't as…safe as she thought in bed, but he was considerate nonetheless.

"I saw Kakashi at the main gate. I wanted to tell him everything that I felt right now, how it was impossible to be with him, because I have you. I wanted to tell him that I was sorry for lying to him and not telling him sooner about us, but when he told me that he was leaving for Suna, I just couldn't do it. I couldn't bear being the bearer of bad news to someone who's about to leave the village. And so, since I couldn't handle it, I started to cry and Kakashi just soothed me with one last kiss. That's basically it. Both of us knew that was the end, for the two of us." Sakura explained to Sasuke. There was nothing to be afraid of, if Sasuke really loved her, he wouldn't get mad and would understand instead.

"Can you promise that was your last kiss with him?" Sasuke asked as his back faced her.

"…Yes."

"Then, I'll assume that you've left everything with him, Sakura."

Sasuke walked up to her and lightly caressed her pink strands. His hand then went to her face and gently stroked the soft and pale skin that made up her exterior. Sakura's inner beauty truly matched her outer one, if the latter not more breathtaking. He leaned in to kiss her, both their eyes closing, waiting for the moment when both their breaths would be taken away until…

"Teme! What're you doing with Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled. "Alone in this forest, too! Get a room you two!"

Sasuke fisted his hand and punched a nearby tree. "Dobe, if you ever interru—"

Sakura muttered under her breath. "We already got a room…"

"Sakura-chan! We're having a barbecue today! You know, since everyone's safe and everything, we decided to have a feast!" Naruto continued, unaware of the impending danger.

"—pt me again, you're dead."

"Oi, teme, did you say something?" Naruto scratched his head as he looked at Sasuke.

"Naruto." Sakura laughed. "Let's just get going before he does something to hurt anyone or himself. I've had enough patching up to do for a while."

"Okay, Sakura-chan! Hinata's waiting with the others already at the training grounds! And everyone else is there too!" Naruto babbled on as Sakura pushed him forward from behind, leaving Sasuke alone.

Keeping one hand on Naruto's back, Sakura turned around and looked at Sasuke and sighed. She mouthed several words to him, which made him smirk in response.

'_I'll make it up to you some other way.'_

Maybe coming back to Konoha isn't such a bad idea after all. Revenge can always come later when the two old geezers are about to die.

Love and sex first, explanations later.

* * *

Hello, everyone! Please give me your feedback on the ending of the story, and if you think it was good or bad or whatever. Feedbacks encourage me to become a better authoress (: Below are the lyrics to the song that made this story a success. Oh btw, the song Gentle Lie hints about a guy cheating on a girl, so...it's sort of like this story. Except for the reversed roles.

**I LOVE YOU ALL. WITHOUT YOU GUYS, THIS STORY WOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN A SUCCESS. (: MUCH LOVE. JA NE!**

**P.S. "_VELVET_"**, the sequel of **"_Gentle Lie_"**, is out! :) Go give it a read, guys. It's not done yet, but I will be working on it pretty soon. While you're here, give my frequently updated story, **"_A Pretty Still Doll_"**, a chance please ;) I can guarantee you will love it :D**  
**

_**- Kanryu out  


* * *

**_

**Gentle Lie**** by the GazettE****  
**  
What I did because of my weakness  
was surely for the sake of those "dearest" to each other

Let's see in the cold bed...  
Please give me a gentle kiss...  
The two of us, melting into the silk

Loving, being loved, knowing sadness  
the chewed for sighs  
Just embracing, being embraced, only this  
Without wishing anything else  
Truth can't been seen "If you wish look"  
No... I just want to change the words little by little

Before you desire the,, most loved  
I want you to let go of this hand

Let's see in the cold bed...  
Please give me a gentle kiss...  
I know that I can't return

Loving, being loved, knowing sadness  
the chewed for sighs  
What repeats the behaviour of meeting with this knowledge  
That because I could see the loneliness inside of this feeling of embracing and being embraced  
I was able to forgive you

The fingers, laying on top of one another, seems like their gonna be taken away.  
I long for the answer, even tough i know how foolish it is  
The overflowing sorrow Melting sorrow

Giving sorrow, getting sorrow, knowing love the entwined sighs  
That I can't escape from it is not a lie  
Every time I repeat it, warmth grows in this soft lie  
It seems like my breathing stops

Even when I can see my confusion in the toughness of loving again  
You-re the one who shuts my eyes to it  
Shaking and drowning in this someone who wipes away the loneliness

Who lets go of this hand is... "me"

**Japanese Version**

**Gentle lie**** by the GazettE  
**  
弱さのせいにしたのは 互いの「最愛」の為だろう

Let's see in the cold bed ...  
Please give me a gentle kiss ... シルクに溶ける二人

愛し愛され哀を知り 口移しの溜め息  
理解り合う素振りの繰り返し  
ただ抱いて抱かれてそれだけ 他には何一つ望まず  
Truth can't be seen. 「望むのなら ほら」  
No ... 少しずつ言葉を変えたいだけ

「最愛」を欲しがる前に この手を離して欲しい

Let's see in the cold bed ...  
Please give me a gentle kiss ... 戻れないと理解ってる

愛し愛され哀を知り 口移しの溜め息  
理解り合う素振りの繰り返すのは  
抱いて抱かれた感触に 孤独見えたから許せた

重ねた指に さらわれそうになる  
答えを求める滑稽さを理解ってたのに  
溢れ出すSorrow シャドーを溶かす

哀し哀され愛を知り 絡め合う吐息に  
抜け出せないのは嘘じゃなく  
繰り返す度に熱を増す その優しき嘘に  
息が止まりそうで

また愛する事の重さに 戸惑いが見えても  
目を塞げるのはあなたの方ね  
孤独を拭う誰かに 揺らいで溺れて

この手 離すのは・・・ 「私

**Credits to JuJu who added the lyrics and JENZiiH at JPopasia!**


End file.
